A MOTHER-OF-PEARL INLAID LACQUER FOLIATE TRAY EARLY MING DYNASTY

of lobed form with eight bracket foliations, the shallow sides rising from a recessed circular base, the interior finely inlaid with a gathering of sages in a country residence, depicting a group of scholars greeted on their arrival after passing the arched gateway, while others sit engaged in conversations in a curtained chamber nearby and two below play a game of weiqi, another in the forefront approaches the walled garden on a horseback followed by attendants carrying food and refreshments, all among cragged rocks and a lush variety of trees below swirled clouds in the distance, the inside walls picked out with eight quatrefoil panels against a cash-diaper ground, each enclosing a scene of scholars amongst different garden settings, the underside lacquered in black

Sugachi ke, Kanazawa Bijutsu Club, 29th November 1931, cat. no. 184.

There are minor losses to the mother-of-pearl inlays, and retouching to the black lacquer to secure cracks. The underside has old relacquering, and wrinkles to the recessed base. The overall condition is quite good.
"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."

Lobed lacquer dishes from the early Ming dynasty are rare and the present piece is notable for its exquisite inlaid design. The tiny pieces of shell have been patiently mapped into place to create a scene of figures in a garden with pavilions, and the vibrancy of the scene is heightened by the iridescent sheen of the shell. A related foliate-lobed dish, with ladies in a terraced garden pavilion, the well decorated with a dense floral scroll, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, is illustrated in James C.Y. Watt and Barbara Brennan Ford, East Asian Lacquer. The Florence and Herbert Irving Collection, New York, 1991, pl. 60; and another was sold at Christie’s New York, 19^th September 2008, lot 135. Compare also a smaller bracket-lobed dish inlaid with a boy and scholar amongst trees, the cavetto decorated with three lobed cartouches, from the collection of H.R.N. Norton, sold in our London rooms, 26^th March 1963, lot 30, and again at Christie’s New York, 16^th October 2001, lot 227.