A FINELY PAINTED AND RARE BLUE AND WHITE LOBED BOWL MING DYNASTY, MID-15TH CENTURY

the fifteen-lobed, rounded sides rising gradually from a low wedge-cut footring to a scalloped mouth, painted in poweful tones of cobalt-blue on the exterior with two garden scenes divided by thick, billowing clouds, one with a two-tiered pavilion opening onto the balustaded garden with twin plantain trees rising amid rocks and shrubs, the other similarly decorated, with rolling clouds in the far distance, between a keyfret border and a band of crashing waves, the slightly sunken interior with a scene of a scholar seated on a grassy shore contemplating by a splashing waterfall within a double-circle, the sides with a continuous frieze of lush trees interspersed with shrubs, including bamboo, pine, plantain below the rim with a diaper band, the countersunk base glazed white 

The overall condition is very good with only a minor 2 cm iron spot extending from a burst air bubble on the exterior and light scratches. The color is a touch less intense than the catalogue illustration. There are expected minor 'pin pricks' burst air bubbles on the underside of the base.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This bowl is remarkable for its finely drawn decoration, unusual lobed shape and large size.  The decoration is imaginative and playful, while the glaze is crisp and glossy, characteristic of the Xuande period.  The decoration also closely follows the painting style of the exquisite figure-decorated bowls of the Xuande mark and period, which suggests a date early in the interregnum period for the present piece.  

A bowl of this lobed form decorated with a closely related design but without the seated figure in the interior and with a trellis-pattern border around the rim instead of the wave border, was sold in our London rooms, 10^th June 1986, lot 221.  Compare another bowl of similar form but with figures to the exterior, from the Ataka Collection, Japan, which was illustrated in Fujioka Rioichi (ed.), Toji taikei, vol. 42: Min no sometsuke, Tokyo, 1975, pls. 61 and 62, and sold in these rooms, 1st May 2001, lot 512.  Compare also two large bowls of this type, one painted with figures and the other with the bajixiang (Eight Buddhist Symbols) design, illustrated in Sekai toji zenshu, vol. 14, Tokyo, 1976, pls. 41-42, from the Okura Cultural Foundation, Tokyo, and pls. 43-44, from a private collection. Another bowl of this type is included in Adrian M. Joseph, 'Some Unmarked Blue and White Porcelain of the Fifteenth Century', Connoisseur, July 1975, pl. 3; and one also with the bajixiang decoration, from the Eumorfopoulos and Sir David Home Bt., collections, included in the Oriental Ceramics Society exhibition, Ming Blue and White, London, 1946, cat.no. 20, was sold in our London rooms, 29^th May 1940, lot 214, and again in these rooms, 29^th November 1977, lot 25.