Plat en porcelaine bleu blanc Chine, dynastie Ming, époque Yongle (1403-1424)

circulaire avec un haut rebord doucement incurvé, peint d'un bleu profond caractéristique de la période, à décor central d'un bouquet de lotus et fleurs aquatiques noué par un ruban, entouré de trois cercles concentriques, les bords décorés d'une bande de rinceaux de pivoines, roses, lotus, camélias, hibiscus et grenadiers en fleurs se répétant au revers du plat, la fleur de lys remplaçant le grenadier en fleurs, entre une frise rinceaux et une frise de grecques, le bord intérieur du plat souligné d'une frise de rinceaux, la base non émaillée légèrement rougie à la cuisson

The contour has warped a little in the kiln but otherwise the dish is in very good condition. A few expected light scratches and a tiny un-burst air bubble inside. The actual colour is a little more cobalt than the illustration would suggest in the catalogue.
"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."

Dishes painted with this beautifully composed lotus bouquet motif are amongst the classic wares of the early Ming period. The present example is particularly fine, with the lotus bouquet executed in a more fluid and painterly fashion than many of its companions. 

Made for the Yongle court and for the export market, lotus bouquet dishes can be found in different sizes (usually between 27 cm and 43 cm) with slight variation in the main design and in the use of band decoration. However, a very similar example is illustrated in John Alexander Pope, Chinese Porcelain from the Ardebil Shrine, Washington, 1956, pl. 31 top right, together with three other related dishes with a different treatment of the rim.

Compare another closely related vessel in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in Minji meihin zuroku, vol. 1, Tokyo, 1977, pl. 38; and a rare dish of this design of even larger size in the Palace Museum, Beijing, published in Geng Baochang (ed.), Gugong Bowuyuan cang Ming chu qinghua ci, Beijing, 2002, pl. 136, together with three much small Qing copies, two of Yongzheng mark and period, pls 195 and 199, and one of Qianlong mark and period, pl. 203. See another similar example published in Mayuyama, Seventy Years, vol. 1, Tokyo, 1976, pl. 757; one from the Herschel V. Johnson collection included in Sir Harry Garner, Oriental Blue and White, London, 1973, pl. 12; and a dish sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 7th October 2006, lot 901.

Two lotus bouquet dishes are included in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, Vol. Two, London, 1994, pls. 665 and 666, the latter painted with a wave border at the rim and the base bearing a Persian inscription in black ink and a drilled dot mark. This inscription suggests that the piece belonged to the Mughal court.