A FINE AND RARE SMALL BLUE AND WHITE BARBED DISH MING DYNASTY, YONGLE PERIOD

the flat dish painted in inky-washes of vivid cobalt-blue with scattered flecks of silvery 'heaping and piling', the interior with a central medallion of conforming barbed shape with three peony blooms borne on leafy stems enclosed by line borders, the lobed cavetto with eight panels of alternating pomegranate fruits and flowers, set below a sharply everted barbed rim of continuous lingzhi scroll, the exterior similarly painted with flower panels, the shallow unglazed base burnt to a peachy brown

Sotheby's New York, 19th September 2002, lot 105.

The overall condition is excellent. There is just expected wear to the glaze, particularly along the raised ribs, and along the edge of the barbed rim.
"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 dish, with its graceful flower design executed in graded shades of cobalt blue, exemplifies the subtle porcelain painting style that is characteristic of the Yongle reign. The refined barbed rim serves to accentuate the softness of the flower petals and the pointedness of the leaves to result in an aesthetically pleasing piece. A closely related dish from the Qing Court collection and still in Beijing is published in Gugong bowuyuan cang Ming chu qinghua ci, vol. 2, Beijing, 2002, pl. 168; and another, but with waves decorating the rim, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, was included in the exhibition Mingdai chunian ciqi tezhan, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1982, cat. no. 43.

Further examples, formerly in old English collections, include one from the Harry Oppenheim collection and another from the Sir Percival David collection, both now in the British Museum, London, illustrated in Jessica Harrison-Hall, Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, London, 2001, pl. 3:32, and Oriental Ceramics. The World's Great Collections, vol. 6, Tokyo, 1982, pl. 77 respectively. One from the collections of Mrs Alfred Clarke and Frederick Knight, was sold in these rooms, 18^th May 1982, lot 28; and a fourth dish from the collections of H.R. Norton and R.H.R. Palmer, is published in E.E. Bluett, 'Chinese Works of Art in English Collections: The Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Palmer', Apollo, April 1958, pl. VIIIb, was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 17^th January 1989, lot 562. See also a dish sold in our New York rooms, 19^th September 2002, lot 105; and another sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 1^st June 2011, lot 3821.