Page 41 - Sothebys Speelman Gems of Chinese Art

This classic design, with the lotus medallion
also another Jingtai-marked dish, first sold
at the centre, comprised of a lotus pod with at Christie’s New York, 3rd June 1988, lot 44,
articulated seeds and radiating petals, is found and most recently at Christie’s London, 7th
on several examples dating to the Xuande period. November 2006, lot 2682.
See a Xuande reign-marked disc originally in
There has been speculation in the past that
the collections of Stephen Winkworth and Sir
Jingtai reign-marked wares of the quality of the
Percival David, now in the Uldry collection at the
current dish, stylistically identical to Xuande
Rietberg Museum, illustrated in Helmut Brinker
wares, are in fact of the Xuande period but with
and Albert Lutz, Chinese cloisonné: The Pierre
later incised marks. Cloisonné enamel wares
Uldry Collection, London, 1989, pl. 1, along with
with apocryphal Jingtai marks are also frequently
several boxes featuring the same motif, ibid,
found, especially from the Qianlong period, when
pls 2-4. A striking aspect of the present dish
Imperial records detail the specific order to
is the double-row of twelve radiating petals
inscribe vessels with Jingtai marks.
surrounding the pod.
The delicately incised Jingtai six-character
A comparable example with incised Jingtai six-
mark on the current dish is identical to that on a
character mark was sold in our London rooms,
circular cloisonné enamel box and cover in the
14th July 1981, lot 12. A slightly larger dish,
National Palace Museum, Taipei, in the National
diameter 26 cm, sold in our London rooms,
Palace Museum, Taipei, similarly enamelled with
29th October 1982, lot 14, is now in the Uldry
lotus flowers and catalogued as Jingtai mark and
collection, illustrated in Brinker and Lutz, ibid,
period, illustrated in Enamel Ware in the Ming
pl. 14, with very similar decoration and a double-
and Ch’ing Dynasty, National Palace Museum,
vajra incised to the gilded underside. Compare
Taipei, 1999, cat. no. 1.
GEMS OF CHINESE ART — THE SPEELMAN COLLECTION I 39