A PAIR OF CHINESE EXPORT IMARI 'LA DAME AU PARASOL' SAUCER DISHES circa 1740

after a design by Cornelis Pronk, each painted in the center in iron-red, underglaze blue and gilding with an Oriental lady standing beneath a tasseled parasol held by her attendant and watching four waterbirds within a foliate band and honeycomb diaper border reserved with vignettes of figures and waterfowl on the rim, and on the exterior beneath the rim with various winged insects in underglaze-blue.  Haircrack.

Elinor Gordon, Villanova, Pennsylvania

One dish has a fine discolored haircrack running from the rim to the foot but not readily apparent on the interior decorated surface. Both have some minor wear to the gilding.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

An interesting account of the history of this design, derived from a watercolor painted by Cornelis Pronk in 1734 and reproduced on porcelain both in China and in Japan for the Dutch East India Company, is provided by C. J. A. Jörg, Pronk Porcelain, Porcelain after Designs by Cornelis Pronk, who illustrates the original watercolor, p. 15, along with a number of pieces in this pattern throughout the catalogue. Pronk's design was received in Batavia in 1735 and by 1737 a consignment of 371 pieces decorated in underglaze-blue, famille-rose and Imari palettes were part of a shipment to the Netherlands via Batavia. The pattern remained the most popular of the Pronk designs, also appearing on Japanese porcelain, Cozzi porcelain from Venice and Dutch Delftware, and reappearing in an Imari palette on Chinese porcelain, circa 1770-75.

The Collection of the Late Mildred R. and Rafi Y. Mottahedeh, sold in these rooms on October 19, 2000, included a Japanese Imari example and several Chinese Export porcelain examples of this pattern in varying palettes, lots 230-233. Three Chinese Export Imari plates and a soup plate were sold in these rooms, January 16, 2003, lots 236 and 237, and three Chinese Export examples in famille-rose, Imari or underglaze-blue palettes were sold in these rooms, January 15, 2004, lots 61 and 62.