Carved red square plate of the Five Old Figures

[tick red five old people square]

tick red five old people square, Ming Yongle, height 2.7 cm, caliber 17.7 cm, foot diameter 13.3 cm. The old collection of the Qing Palace.
The plate is square and angular, and it follows the circle. The two old people are drinking and talking in the court, and the three old people are coming slowly, which is a picture of the five old people. Inside and outside the plate, there are flower patterns on the wall. The outer bottom is painted with ochre paint, and the left foot is stitched with the “Ming Yongle Year” running script
The “Five Old Men” picture shows the allusions of the five important ministers, Du Yan, Wang Huan, Bi Shichang, Zhu Guan and Feng Ping, who had both political integrity and ability during the Qingli period of the Northern Song Dynasty (1041-1048), who resigned from the office and retired to Nanjing (now Shangqiu, Henan Province) to hold a poetry and wine party. The “Five Old Men” has been used as a symbol of longevity and happiness in the decorative patterns of handicrafts in the future generations.

剔红五老图方盘款识