A BLUE AND WHITE 'LOTUS' DISH MING DYNASTY, YONGLE PERIOD

the low rounded sides rising from a short foot, finely painted in contrasting tones of underglaze-blue with characteristic 'heaping and piling', decorated on the interior with a central medallion enclosing five large lotus blooms emitting intertwining leafy stems within triple line borders, surrounded in the cavetto by a continuous lotus meander beneath a classic scroll band at the lip, with a similar chrysanthemum scroll on the exterior between a classic scroll around the foot and a keyfret at the rim

The Exquisite Chinese Artifacts. Collection of Ching Wan Society, National Museum of History, Taiwan, 1995, cat. no. 90.

The Leshantang Collection of Chinese Porcelain, Taipei, 2005, cat.no. 5.

There is an approx 7cm D-shaped hairline crack from the rim, with associated rim chips, covering an area of approx 7cm. The small chips have been filled in and repainted. There are two short hairline cracks associated with the chips, the longer of which is approx 6cm. At approx 3oclock, there is a short starcrack which extends into the interior approx 0.5cm, and into the exterior approx 2.7cm. Otherwise the dish is in good condition overall.
"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 dish exemplifies the quality and simple vigour that characterises Jingdezhen blue and white porcelain of the Yongle period, with the lotus scroll motif expertly painted and positioned that is aesthetically most pleasing. The design appears to spread into the surrounding space with rhythmic dynamism. While plants on 15^th century porcelain are generally naturalistically rendered, the lotus is commonly depicted in a stylised form with curly decorative leaves, as seen on the centre of this piece. Dishes of this type were made for the court as well as for the export market, transported mainly to the Middle East via the great naval expeditions of Admiral Zhenghe.

For another related example, see a dish sold in our London rooms, 14^th March 1972, lot 129, formerly in the collection of L. A. Basmadjeff, and now in the Meiyintang Collection, illustrated in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, vol. Two, London, 1994, no. 662. Compare also a dish included in John Pope, Chinese Collections from the Ardebil Shrine, 1956, pl. 36, bottom right, from the collection of the Ottoman Sultans.

See also a Yongle blue and white dish sold in our London rooms, 2^nd December 1997, lot 203; another sold at Christie's New York, 2^nd December 1986; and one sold in these rooms, 29^th October 1991, lot 28.

Dishes with similar lotus scroll decoration were also made in larger sizes. For example see one in the National Palace Museum, illustrated in Mingdai chunian ciqi tezhen, Taipei, 1982, cat.no.40; another illustrated in Chinese Arts of the Ming and Ch'ing Periods, Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo, 1963, cat.no. 283; two from the Ardebil Shrine collection and now in the Archaeological Museum, Tehran, illustrated in John Alexander Pope, op.cit., pl.34, bottom right; and one included in T. Misugi, Chinese Porcelain Collections in the Near East, Hong Kong, 1981, vol.III, no.A38.  Compare also a dish of similar decoration sold in these rooms, 25th April 2004, lot 290.