Page 28 - March 17, 2020 Impotant Chinese Art, Sotheby's, New York

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AN EXCEPTIONAL AND RARE BLUE AND 明永樂 青花花卉紋蓮子盌
WHITE ‘FLORAL’ BOWL
MING DYNASTY, YONGLE PERIOD 來源
美國私人收藏，購於康州
delicately potted in the shape of a lotus bud (lianzi) or
chicken heart (jixin), with deep rounded sides and a pointed
base resting on a short, narrow foot, finely painted in rich
tones of cobalt blue accented with characteristic ‘heaping
and piling’, the interior decorated with a central medallion
enclosing a formalized quatrefoil motif encircled by a
narrow band of alternating stylized florets formed of dots
and leaves, and further wreathed by elaborate interlocking
strapwork forming heart-shaped petals enclosing trefoils, the
cavetto with eight dianthus blossoms borne on undulating
leafy foliate scrolls, all below a row of pendent trefoils and a
band of zigzag lines and clusters of circles around the rim,
the exterior painted with four blossoms of lotus, peony,
chrysanthemum, and pomegranate flower, alternating with
four emblems of zabao (miscellaneous treasures) including
the ingot, double horns, coral branch, and yinyang castanets,
between interlinked pendent trefoils and upright slender
petals surmounted by trefoils, all bordered by a band of lotus
scrolls around the rim and classic scrolls encircling the foot
Diameter 6¼ in., 16 cm
PROVENANCE
American Private Collection, acquired in Connecticut.
$ 300,000-500,000

52 SOTHEBY’S COMPLETE CATALOGUING AVAILABLE AT SOTHEBYS.COM/N10644 53