A FINE YELLOW-GROUND AND UNDERGLAZE-BLUE 'GARDENIA' DISH MARK AND PERIOD OF HONGZHI

the shallow rounded sides flaring to an everted rim, the centre deftly and freely painted in soft delicate tones of underglaze-blue with a leafy spray bearing two luxuriant gardenia blooms and two buds, encircled around the sides by fruiting branches of pomegranate, persimmon, grape, and a ribbon-tied bouquet of lotus, all between double line borders, the underside with a continuous floral meander, the blooms with spiral centres spaced among leaves arranged in groups of three, all reserved on a brilliant rich yellow ground, the base glazed white and inscribed with the six-character mark within double circles  

Sotheby's Hong Kong, 15th November 1988, lot 157.
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 26th October 1993, lot 59.

Cecile and Michel Beurdeley, La Ceramique Chinoise, Fribourg, 1974, col. pls. 67 and 68.

The dish is in very good condition overall, and has been very well preserved. There is small firing kiln chip to the foot of approx 0.5 by 0.2cm, and some firing grit running around the edge 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."

The present piece is especially fine for its brilliant and striking combination of the blue and yellow colours and for the bold but perfectly arranged design of flowers and fruit. It was inspired by early Ming dishes of the same pattern, see a smaller Xuande dish in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Minji meihin zuroku, vol. 2, Tokyo, 1977, pl. 99.

Hongzhi dishes of this design can be found in important museum and private collections. Two in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, are illustrated in Minji meihin zuroku, vol. 2, Tokyo, 1977, pls. 72 and 73, together with their blue-and-white counterparts, pls. 70 and 71. One in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in The Complete Collection of treasures of the Palace Museum. Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red (II), Shanghai, 2000, pl. 231, together with a Chenghua example, pl. 230, and a Zhengde example, pl. 233. Compare also a dish in the Shanghai Museum included in the exhibition Chugoku rekidai toji ten, Seibu Art Museum, Tokyo, 1984, cat. no. 80.

From Western museum collections compare a similar dish in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, illustrated in The World's Great Collections. Oriental Ceramics, vol. 2, Tokyo, 1982, col. pl. 16; one in the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Stockholm, op. cit., vol. 8, Tokyo, 1982, pl. 226, from the Kempe Collection; and one in the Percival David Foundation, London, included in Margaret Medley, Illustrated Catalogue of the Ming Polychrome Wares, London, 1966, cat. no. A740. The companion dish of the Percival David Foundation was sold in out London rooms, 15th October 1968, lot 108.

A similar dish from the T.Y. Chao collection was sold in these rooms, 31st October 1995, lot 387; and another from the Toguri Museum of Art, Tokyo, was sold in our London rooms, 9th June 2004, lot 22.