A MASSIVE BLUE AND WHITE 'THREE FRIENDS OF WINTER' DISH MARK AND PERIOD OF JIAJING

of exceptionally large form, painted in pale shades of cobalt-blue with 'The Three Friends of Winter' motif, depicting bamboo, pine and prunus trees, the gnarled trunk of the pine tree twisting in the shape of a stylised shou character, growing amid smaller shrubs and grasses, the sides decorated with twelve cranes flying amid cloud swirls, the reverse with the eight bagua symbols amid a scrolling ruyi meander, with a cartouche below the rim inscribed with the six-character mark in underglaze-blue

The dish has been broken into 6 pieces and restored, however, there is very little rebuilding to the piece. There is some retouching to the edge of the dish.
"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."

Large chargers of this size are rare.  Firing such large objects without warpage proved to be very dificult.  These large chargers may have been used to display large quanities of fruit in the imperial court in order to create a pleasant fragrance.  Compare a blue and white 'dragon' dish of slightly larger size in the Topkapi Saray, illustrated in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics in the Topkapi Saray Museum, London, 1986, cat.no. 923 and another dragon dish with underglaze blue and yellow enamel, from the J.M Hu Collection in the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai,1989, cat.no. 23.

The Jiajing emperor was a practising Daoist and appreciated wares with Daoist symbols.  The shou character in the centre of the dish, the pine tree and the cranes are all symbols for longevity.  The prunus, pine and bamboo, the 'Three Friends of Winter' are plants that stay green through the winter months and are symbolic of staying together through adversity.  Compare bowls in the Topkapi Saray with the 'Three Friends' motif with the pine tree trunk twisted into a shou character, illustrated in Krahl, op.cit. 937 and 938 and a double-gourd vase in the British Museum with cranes, the 'Three Friends', lingzhi fungus, deer, all associated with longevity, illustrated in Jessica Harrison-Hall, Ming Ceramics in the British Museum,  London, 2001, cat.no. 9:35.