Page 90 - Christies IMportant Chinese Art Sept 26 2020 NYC

PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF LENORA AND WALTER F. BROWN
1550
A VERY RARE BLUE AND WHITE DISH
YONGLE PERIOD (1403-1425)
The central medallion is well-painted with two chrysanthemum The present dish is rare in that the flowers in the central roundel are
blossoms borne on a meandering leafy vine below the cavetto shown as growing naturalistically from a few brush strokes which are
decorated with ten roundels of peony, lotus, camellia, morning glory used to designate the ground, a stylistic development that began in the
and chrysanthemum blossoms. The reverse is decorated with a band early fifteenth century. A large bowl in the Topkapi Museum similarly
of meandering floral scroll. depicts flowering plants growing from a ground rendered with a few
13æ in. (34.8 cm.) diam., cloth box simple brush strokes: see R. Krahl and J. Ayers in Chinese Ceramics in
the Topkapi Saray Museum, Istanbul, vol. II, London, 1986, p. 506, no. 591.
According to Krahl, prior to the fifteenth century, motifs were treated
$100,000-150,000
like patterns and these dishes show a move towards a more naturalistic
approach. This appearance of flowers growing from the ground, rather
PROVENANCE:
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 24 November 1981, lot 70. than used solely as a design motif, was the first step towards the
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 20 May 1987, lot 422. sophisticated painterly style seen in later Ming porcelains. Two related
The Lenora and Walter F. Brown Collection, San Antonio, Texas. Yongle dishes with trees and plants growing from the ground and sprigs
of flowers or plants in the cavetto are illustrated in Sekai Toji Zenshu - 14 -
明永樂 青花纏枝四季花卉菊紋盤 Ming Dynasty Tokyo, 1976, pp. 19-20, nos. 10 and 11.

(reverse)