A RARE UNDERGLAZE-BLUE, RED AND YELLOW ENAMELLED DISH MARK AND PERIOD OF LONGQING

the wide shallow barbed rim dish decorated in the centre with a pair of yellow enamelled sinuous five-clawed dragons outlined in red enamel, encircled on the cavetto with the babao ('Eight Auspicious Treasures') enclosed within eight panels, the reverse painted with lingzhi fungus alternating with ruyi shaped clouds, all reserved against an underglazed blue ground, supported on a low foot following the contours of the rim

J.M. Hu Family Collection.

Due to the brevity of the Longqing reign, few wares dated to the period are extant.  Sir Henry Garner notes in Oriental Blue and White, London, 1973, that during this period, "the imperial factory seems to have been closed down during the earlier years of the reign, and a large order for more than a hundred thousand pieces was placed in 1571 because supplies for the palace had run short."

Dishes of this type are extremely rare.  There are only two other dishes of the same design with Longqing reign marks that appear to have been published.  One is in the Baur Collection, illustrated in John Ayers, Chinese Ceramics in the Baur Collection, 1999, vol.1, pl.95; and the second is published in Chinese Porcelain, The S.C.Ko Tianminlou Collection, Hong Kong, 1987, cat.no.73.  Also compare a blue and white Longqing dish of similar barbed form but painted in underglaze-blue with two deer in op.cit., pl.52; and another formerly in the Jarras Collection, sold at Christie's London, 5th July 1984, lot 283 and again at Christie's Hong Kong, 31st October 2000, lot 812.  

There is a star shaped crack on the base, which can be cleaned to make it less visible. There is minor enamel loss and light wear to the iron red. The rim has characteristic minor fritting. The foot has a tiny 4 mm chip to one of the corners. The overall condition is quite good.
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