Page 46 - Christie's, Important Chinese Works of Art December 2, 2015 HK

3112

AN EXCEPTIONALLY RARE LARGE BLUE AND
WHITE RESERVE-DECORATED ‘PEONY’ DISH

XUANDE SIX-CHARACTER MARK IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE IN A LINE
AND OF THE PERIOD (1426-1435)

The magnificent dish is beautifully decorated on the centre of the
interior with a flowering peony spray enclosed within a single
line, surrounded by six fruiting sprays on the cavetto, comprised
of pomegranate, loquat, cherry, persimmon, peach and lychee,
all reserved in white with fine incised details against a jewel-like
rich cobalt ground. The exterior is decorated with an elaborate
chrysanthemum scroll with the resign mark written in underglaze
blue within a rectangular cartouche just below the rim.
15 in. (38 cm.) diam.

HK$15,000,000-25,000,000 US$2,000,000-3,200,000

PROVENANCE

A French private collection, acquired in the early 20th century
A Parisian private collector, acquired in 1978

Only two other examples of this design are published, one is in the
collection of the Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka, which has been
designated an Important Cultural Property by the Japanese authorities,
illustrated in Masterpieces of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka, 1990, p. 71, no.
46 (fig. 4); the second is illustrated by Geng Baochang in Ming Qing
ciqi jianding, Beijing, 1988, p. 64, fig. 111 (fig. 5). The relative position
of the flowering spray to the surrounding fruiting sprays is nearly
identical on both of these dishes. The current dish appears to be the
only example of this design in private hands.

㱽⚳䥩Ṣ㓞啷炻ℍ啷㕤Ḵ⋩ᶾ䲨⇅
⶜湶䥩Ṣ㓞啷炻ℍ啷㕤1978⸜

44