Twin-fish basin

The twin-fish plate was a particular favorite of the Qianlong emperor's, perhaps both because it is an archaic form and because the design symbolizes wealth in the complex system of rebuses common in Chinese decorative arts of the Qing dynasty. The ultimate prototype for this form might be found in the bronze pan of the Shang dynasty. However, a two-fish version was more common in the Han dynasty, and examples from the Han served as models for ceramic pieces in the Northern and Southern Song periods, the Yuan, and the Ming. Qing dynasty vessels using this motif took different forms, some of which combined elements from various earlier vessel types.
Several examples like this one in jade have been attributed to the Qianlong reign. One of those is a standard pan shape with a long inscription on the interior in seal script; the decor on the exterior is derived from early bronzes. The second has a more oblong shape and is inscribed with the characters for Qianlong fanggu (imitation of an archaic work made in the Qianlong era); it is made from a streaked and mottled jade.
The example shown here has two well-formed and deeply undercut fish in the center; otherwise it is plain. Two inscriptions are cut on the base. One, in seal script, forms a band around the center of the foot; the second, a longer inscription in standard characters, provides a date of 1786.