A RARE BLUE AND WHITE 'LIANZI' BOWL MARK AND PERIOD OF XUANDE

well potted with deep rounded sides springing from a narrow foot, painted overall in contrasting tones of dark cobalt-blue with characteristic 'heaping and piling', the interior decorated to the centre with a stylised four-petalled flower head, encircled by a narrow band of detached florets and crosses, within a band of pendant trefoils, all below a cash diaper band, the exterior with a band of upright stylised lotus petals beneath a keyfret band below the rim, with a further keyfret around the foot, inscribed on the base with the six-character mark within a double-circle

There is a break running through the center of the bowl with an attendant crack stopping at the foot. The colour of the glaze is slightly greener than in the catalogue illustration. The repairs are very well done with traces of the old repairs (staple holes) only visible with a strong torchlight.
"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 belongs to the well known family of lianzi or 'lotus' bowls, which seem to have been popular at the court during both the Yongle and Xuande periods.  Compare a similar bowl of Xuande mark and period in the National Palace Museum, Taiwan, included in the Museum's Special Exhibition of Selected Hsüan-te Imperial Porcelains of the Ming Dynasty, Taipei, 1998, cat.no.157; and another in the Beijing Art Museum, published in Zhongguo taoci quanji, Shanghai, 2000, vol.12, pl.66.  See a similar Xuande bowl of the same design, sold in our London rooms, 9th June 2004, lot 27; another from the George Eumorfopoulous collection, sold in our London rooms, 29th May 1940, lot 22; and a third, from the Norton Collection, sold in our London rooms, 26th March 1963, lot 51.

The present version of the pattern is based on the Yongle prototype.  Yongle bowls have stylised waves around the foot and the interior with a floral medallion enclosed by a circular band of composite flowers.  See a Yongle bowl of the same design in the Shanghai Museum is illustrated in Wang Qingzheng, Underglaze Blue and Red, Hong Kong, 1993, pl.50; and another in the British Museum from the collection of A.D. Brankston is published in Jessica Harrison-Hall, Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, London, 2001, no.3: 29.