Page 52 - Baofang Collection Imperial Ceramics, Christie's Hong Kong May 29, 2019

2812
A FINE AND EXTREMELY RARE EARLY-MING ᒞೣ࿎ 㤎⩈➂ᗌⰉ♄↲ Վಧ᜷ᕋ៹ᢎ
BLUE AND WHITE ‘LOTUS’ DISH
⏎ᘳऑ卿ᆄ⭬卿஄㑷᷉ᙏǯ⏎ᇵ⥾Նភ⦞៨⁍ԕ⡠ǯݤ೅㱈ݨ
XUANDE SIX-CHARACTER MARK IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE IN A LINE
AND OF THE PERIOD (1426-1435) ភ⦞៨⸥⡠卿ऑᯒݤ㱈࣍Ⳟ⡠Ӭॶǯം೅㱈⦞៨ⴵ⡠卿ऑᯒം
Ӭ஄୪⡠卿୪⡠Ӵ㬪ⱤᝧǸഌᚺ໿ᇪჺㅳǹᨕ᪪ǯ㘆ᄓ∪㱈࣍
The dish is painted in deep cobalt tones in the interior with a lotus
scroll in a central medallion with four blooms revolving around a Ⳟ⡠ǯംᄓὍ㞏ǯ
central flower, the well with a similar scroll but with the flowers
ϝᬝ
shown in profile, all within a narrow classic-scroll band below
4BN 8JMMJBNT
the rim, the reverse with a continuous chrysanthemum meander
between a classic-scroll band around the foot and a key-fret band ⡥⡙צ೥ᇑ卿 ჺ ᝲ ᚚ卿ᐽ৅ ⽚
below the rim. The reign mark is written to one side between the ٳᘹצ೥ᇑ卿 ჺ ᝲ ᚚ卿ᐽ৅ ⽚
floral scroll and the key-fret. The base is unglazed.
⮐㙽
10 æ in. (27.6 cm.) diam, box
"OUIPOZ EV #PVMBZ卿Ƕ$ISJTUJF’T 1JDUPSJBM )JTUPSZ PG $IJOFTF
HK$1,800,000-2,500,000 US$240,000-320,000 $FSBNJDTǷ卿⁇ᰥ卿 ჺ卿㮰 卿எ‸ ⽚
PROVENANCE ᫉⡠㱈⎏㬪Ɽ⏎അὍ᪪卿჌᪪⩢ᥑݯ⧎㇦ǯ⏟ऱ׾ຽࣻ⩠ٳᘹ⣠അߧՌ
Sam P. Williams 㩛‰֬⁞ࢷ⁒㱦Ꮢ⻦Ӭ׾卿㖊ᙻ ) (BSOFS ೥ⶬǶ0SJFOUBM #MVF BOE
Sold at Christie’s New York, 9 November 1981, lot 114 8IJUFǷ卿ٳᘹ卿 ჺ卿எ‸ ⽚ǯ
Sold at Christie’s London, 9 June 1997, lot 63
⡠㱈⏟ऱֿὍ᪪⎏׾ຽഅ໸ჺἃ᭦ᦼ卿ᙇ㞔㖅അ卿㇦㋭ᙻݥ↗ݩ☆Ⅷ
LITERATURE ⻦卿ࡺᑐ厍ݦ։⡕㢙ᙻ᯳᛿ⶬǶ$IJOFTF 1PSDFMBJOT GSPN UIF "SEFCJM
Anthony du Boulay, Christie’s Pictorial History of Chinese Ceramics,
4ISJOFǷ卿ⵖ⏇㯀⁞ࢥ卿 ჺ卿⤔⽚ 卿ݯӬஎ‷㖊ᙻஎ‸
Oxford, 1984, p. 123, fig. 2
⽚ठӴ厎ݦ։㖊ᙻ )FMFO % -JOH ࣿըὙԠभⶬǶᐘႱ䁗Ⅷ⻦ᝳᚺݥ
Dishes of this pattern are very rarely marked. A very similar marked ջᜀᇪ㤯ल≢ᆴ㍆Ƿ卿ӳݺ卿㲞ᳰ卿 ჺ卿எ‸ ⽚厎Ӭ։ἃ߿⇧
dish in the Victoria and Albert Museum, is illustrated by Sir H. Garner, ݱஇℳऒᙱ౲ഏݪӽg㩛㙣ഏ⯠⻦卿→⻦ᙻᙱᇪড়‰ᕳែᙹࢷ⁒㱦卿㖊
Oriental Blue and White, London, 1954, no.16.
ᙻǶ0SJFOUBM $FSBNJDTǷ卿✄Ԭݺ卿 ჺ卿ែ՗卿எ‸ ⽚厎Ӭ㖊
Unmarked dishes of this pattern are considerably more common, ᙻ " +PTFQI ⶬǶ.JOH 1PSDFMBJOǷ卿ٳᘹ卿 ჺ卿எ‸ ⽚厎Ӭ։
and are usually attributed to the Yongle period. Examples of this ჺ ᝲ ᚚᙻ㲞ᳰצ೥ᇑᐽ㐈卿ᐽ৅ ⽚厎Ӭ։ἃ⅌Ⳍల⯠⻦卿
type are in museum and private collections worldwide, including two
ჺ ᝲ ᚚᙻ㲞ᳰ⼖༛ᬘᐽ㐈卿ᐽ৅ ⽚ǯ
examples recorded by Alexander Pope, Chinese Porcelains from the
Ardebil Shrine, Washington D.C., 1956, no. 29.118-119, one of which is औजᬘ㖅Ӭ⢑ཨ༿ࣿ⡠㱈ׁ཭⎐⏟ַֿ⡠㱈♎㯸☸ᝳ႞⊿⎏໿ᇪ᪪㬪Ɽ
illustrated on pl. 36 bottom right; two published in Helen D. Ling and
E.T. Chow, Complete Collection of Ming Dynasty Kingtehchen Porcelain ⏎ǯ㘺Ջ׾ຽ⎏⏎ᇵ⥾սՆភ⦞៨⸥⡠卿ԋഒӬភⱤᇵងӳ卿ݤǮം೅
from the Hall of Disciplined Learning, Hong Kong, 1950, vol. I, pl. 28; ⎐⥴ս⦞៨Ɽࢭ⡠卿ംऑᯒ㱈㬦ⱐ⡠卿㘆㑷⽔㱈㍩ᆨൈዪ㫡㯔⡠ǯࣻ⩠
and one from the Meiyintang Collection, sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, ჺⅸྒྷ⎉ᓒӬ׾卿㇦Ƕᜀᇪ㤯߅கᚺ໿ᇪ໶⚨≢଍Ƿ卿झ࢈卿
5 October 2011, lot 24. ჺ卿எ‸ ⽚厎⫽ዃᛌǮ㬱㈊ల߿ᇌ㙬⻦Ӭ׾卿 ჺ ᝲ ᚚᙻ⡥
Compare also to a group of Xuande-marked dishes of similar pattern ⡙צ೥ᇑᐽ㐈卿ᐽ৅ ⽚厎ࣿ ჺ ᝲ ᚚ㲞ᳰצ೥ᇑᐽ㐈Ӭ׾卿
but with some variations. These are painted with a related lotus scroll ᐽ৅ ⽚ǯ
in the centre, which is composed of only five lotus blooms instead
of six, with the central flowerhead shown in full-face, and below a
composite floral scroll that is repeated on the exterior between a
conjoined trefoil band below and a lingzhi scroll above. Examples from
this group include one excavated at Zhushan in 1982 and published in
Xuande Imperial Porcelain Excavated at Jingdezhen, Taipei, 1998, no. 92;
and one sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 May 2012, lot 3972.

48