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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Ladybranch, post: 173454, member: 44&quot;]I have always wonder about the motif of fat little boys (children at play) on Chinese porcelain. I had never thought about looking into their symbolism, until seeing clutter&#039;s reply above. One of the 1st website&#039;s with info I found says only little boys were portrayed. Through the ages their appearances reflected the social conditions of the time changing during good/prosperous times and bad times as well as from region to region. The website says the &quot;Children at play&quot; &quot;are a metaphor which alludes to continuing the family line, marital blessings and lots of kids.&quot;</p><p><br /></p><p>More of what it says:</p><p><br /></p><p>&quot;... It also implies fun, happiness, carefree and innocence and is seen on porcelain, folk arts, in paintings and embroideries quite a lot, though not exclusively. “Children at play” never depicts&nbsp; girls – this is an exclusively male only club. There are many many many variations on this auspicious theme from region to region and period to period.</p><p><br /></p><p>&quot;The motif goes back to the tang dynasty and this motif has changed over time through subtle changes in the imagery, reflecting the social conditions and stability of each of the various periods.&nbsp; During periods of declining prosperity bodies, clothing and particularly heads changed to reflect the times. Children depicted in prosperous times are more plump and carefree; scenes are livelier. In times of social unrest and/or less prosperity the imagery become more abstract and even distorted to some degree. With research and closer scrutiny it can&nbsp; be a useful tool in dating.</p><p><br /></p><p>“ &#039;100 children&#039; known in Chinese as &#039;100 suns &amp; 1000 grandsons&#039; is another similar but a different motif and is in particular is often associated with weddings. This one peaked in popularity during the Ming and Qing Dynasties and the number of children in each scene increased significantly. Supposedly this motif refers to Zhou Wen Wang, the founder of the Zhou Dynasty who had 99 sons and adopted 1 more for an even 100!&quot;</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="http://www.antique-chinese-furniture.com/blog/2012/03/13/100-sons-and-children-at-play-chinese-traditional-symbols-and-motifs/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.antique-chinese-furniture.com/blog/2012/03/13/100-sons-and-children-at-play-chinese-traditional-symbols-and-motifs/" rel="nofollow">http://www.antique-chinese-furniture.com/blog/2012/03/13/100-sons-and-children-at-play-chinese-traditional-symbols-and-motifs/</a></p><p><br /></p><p>I know I indulge in going to far into obscure history, but thought this might be of interest.</p><p><br /></p><p>--- Susan[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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