A carved Cinnabar Lacquer 'Lychee' Dish Ming Dynasty, 14th / 15th Century

of circular shallow form, the dish finely carved in relief with a lychee branch bearing abundant fruit and foliage, each fruit carved with various diaper grounds, reserved against a floret-diaper ground, the exterior with continuous pommel scrolls above the recessed base lacquered black, Japanese wood box (2)

There has been retouching to the large central stem, the bottom left stem and the lychees at 1 and 3 o'clock in the catalogue image. There has also been regluing to the lychees and to the exterior flakes and the rim. The rim has old retouching and has vertical cracks consistently around with two areas of loss to the lacquer 1 inch and 1 1/4 inch long. The original base now with expected age cracks.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

In the late 16th century, the diaper-ground effect began to appear on the surfaces of fruit depicted on lacquerware, particularly the lychee. This work is an example of such practice, as virtually all of the pieces of fruit represented are decorated with different diaper grounds. Compare with a circular incense box of similar design, illustrated in James C.Y. Watt and Barbara Brennan Ford, East Asian Lacquer: The Florence and Herbert Irving Collection, New York, 1991, p. 105; and Lacquerware of the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, The Palace Museum Beijing, vol. 45, pl. 46.