Plat en porcelaine bleu et blanc d'hibiscus, pivoines et camélias, Chine, époque Yongle (1403-1424)

grand et circulaire avec un contour chantourné, le bleu sous couverte d'un beau ton cobalt avec par endroit les traces d'accumulation de pigments plus sombres caractéristiques de la période, à décor au centre d'un médaillon chantourné contenant un rinceau de pivoines, lotus, hibiscus et camelia, une variété de fleurs autour du cavetto avec une répétition similaire de médaillons de lotus et pivoines au revers, le contour plat avec une frise de vagues ourlées, la base blanche non émaillée



the underglaze-blue of inky blue and black tone, with 'heaped and piled' effect, painted to the centre with a barbed panel enclosing a flowering scroll of peony, lotus, morning glory and camellia, encircled on the cavetto by twelve flower sprays each centred within a bracket-shaped panel, the barbed everted rim with a frise of tumultuous waves, the underside with twelve detached peony and lotus sprays within blue-line bands, the white base unglazed

The dish is in good condition. Some wear and surface scratches to the glaze on the inside, and a few stained pinprick burst air bubbles on the rim.
"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."

Two dishes of this design are in the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Stockholm, illustrated in Jan Wirgin, Chinese Ceramics from the Axel and Nora Lundgren Bequest, Stockholm, 1978, pl. 27, no. 25, and in Oriental Ceramics. The World's Great Collections, vol. 8, Tokyo, 1982, pl. 216, from the Swedish Royal Collection. See also a similar dish in the Percival David Foundation, London, included in op. cit., vol. 6, Tokyo, 1982, pl. 76; another in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in the Special Exhibition of Early Ming Porcelains, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1982, cat.no. 38; and one from the collection of the Ottoman Sultans published in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics in the Topkapi Saray Museum, Istanbul, vol.2, London, 1986, pl. 601.

Compare also a dish from the Mottahedeh collection, illustrated in Michael Howard and John Ayers, China for the West. Chinese Porcelain and Other Decorative Arts for Export, vol.1, New York, 1978, p. 12, and sold in our New York rooms, 20th March 1976, lot 113, and again, 20th September 2000, lot 105. Another similar example from the Morrill collection was sold at Doyle's New York, 16th September, 2003, lot 81. Compare another dish sold in our London room 13^th July 2005, lot 162.