Pattipan (Stand for a Jug), anonymous, c. 1740
painting, h 2cm × l 13cm × w 8.6cm More details
Designed by Cornelis Pronk (1691-1759), the depiction on this dish is known as ‘the three doctors.’ It might derive from the story of The Three Sages Tasting Vinegar about the poet Su Shi (1037-1101), the monk Foyin, and the Daoist Huang Tingjian (1045-1105). For Su vinegar tastes sour, for Foyin bitter, and for Huang sweet. This stands for the world views of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism.
