Page 26 - Tianminlou Hong Kong Sotheby's April 3 2019

Striking for its delicate and exquisitely painted foreign envoys who began travelling to China
motif of five entwined floral scrolls, this as a result of the expeditions. Trade was
charger displays the century-long interaction strictly regulated by the court through a
between potters in China and consumers in tribute system, porcelain together with silk
East Asia. Its large size, barbed rim and lobed constituted a luxury commodity sought-after
form reflect the Yongle Emperor’s interest throughout Asia and beyond, and on porcelain
in producing porcelain suitable for export, China held a monopoly.
while the delicate rendering of flowers and Porcelain chargers of this type are preserved
leaves exhibits the Jingdezhen potters’ own in the royal collections of the Safavids in Iran
interpretation of foreign aesthetic taste. and the Ottomans in Turkey. Three chargers
Its refined porcelain body and luminous of this design from the Ardabil Shrine in the
cobalt testifies to the great technological National Museum of Iran, Tehran, are included
advances made in this reign, perhaps the most in John Alexander Pope, Chinese Porcelains
experimental amongst Ming reigns.
from the Ardebil Shrine, Washington D.C.,
The Mongol invasion in the 1270s and 1956, pls 29.101, 29.106 and 29.109; and
the founding of the Yuan dynasty placed two chargers painted with different blooms
China within the wide network of territories in the Topkapi Saray Museum, Istanbul, are
controlled by the Mongols. Trade through the illustrated in Regina Krahl, op.cit., vol. 2, pls
maritime Silk Route flourished in this period 601 and 602, the first with waves on the rim
and porcelain was a luxurious commodity and the second with a floral scroll.
sought-after by Persian merchants. Such large A charger of this design in the National Palace
dishes were made since the Yuan dynasty Museum, Taipei, was included in Special
and were uniquely adapted to Middle Eastern Exhibition of Early Ming Period Porcelain,
dining customs. They would be placed in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1982, cat.
centre of the table for communal eating. A no. 37; one in the National Museum of China
miniature depicting their use at a feast held in is published in Zhongguo Guojia Bowuguan
Topkapi Saray, Istanbul, in the 17th century is guancang wenwu yanjiu congshu/Studies on
illustrated by Julian Raby and Ünsal Yücel in the Collections of the National Museum of
Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics in the Topkapi China. Ciqi juan: Mingdai [Porcelain section:
Saray Museum, Istanbul, ed. John Ayers, Ming dynasty], Shanghai, 2007, pl. 20; another
London, 1986, vol. 1, p. 45
in the British Museum, London, is illustrated in
The Yongle Emperor was an outward looking Jessica Harrison-Hall, Ming Ceramics, London,
monarch who sought to propagate China’s 2001, pl. 3.35; and a fourth example, published
supremacy internationally. In order to in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the
receive recognition of his power as the ‘Son Meiyintang Collection, vol. 2, London, 1994,
of Heaven’ and ruler of the most powerful pl. 663, was sold in these rooms, 8th April
empire, Yongle directed the famous Muslim 2013, lot 20. A further dish of this type from
eunuch Zheng He (1371-1433) to undertake six the collection of Mr Lawrence W.T. Chan, was
maritime expeditions and establish diplomatic included in the Min Chiu Society exhibition
relations. Tribute gifts including exotic animals The Radiant Ming 1368-1644 through the Min
were brought back from these expeditions, Chiu Society Collection, Hong Kong Museum of
while further gifts reached the court through History, Hong Kong, 2015-2016, cat. no. 63.

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