Page 71 - Ming Porcelain Auction March 14, 2017 Sotheby's, NYC

quickly became classics in Chinese art, overcame the erstwhile scepticism. 1998 111
From the Xuande reign onwards, more or less the complete production,
inscribed with the imperial reign mark, appears to have been directed and 1992 10 27 35 18 5
restricted to use at the court. Brush washers such as the present piece, with its 990
subtle mallow shape and delicate roundels of ve-clawed dragons alternately 1996 6 30
ascending and descending, and the imperial Xuande reign mark, would not
have been accessible outside the court. 1998
19 1
Xuande brush washers of this classic ten-petalled mallow shape are known
with several di erent dragon designs, as well as with dragon and phoenix, or
phoenix only, and in various sizes; the present piece is particularly large. Stem
bowls, bowls, dishes and even small ewers appear to have been matchingly
shaped and decorated, all with the foot or stem similarly following the lobed
outline of the sides. A stem bowl with similar dragon roundels, for example,
in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taiwan, was included in the
exhibition Mingdai Xuande guanyao jinghua tezhan tulu/Catalogue of the Special
Exhibition of Selected Hsüan-te Imperial Porcelains of the Ming Dynasty, National
Palace Museum, Taipei, 1998, cat. no. 111.