A COBALT-BLUE DISH MARK AND PERIOD OF JIAJING

the shallow rounded sides elegantly rising from a straight foot to a wide flared rim, the interior with a slight ridge indicating the centre, applied overall with a deep blue glaze of smooth texture, save for the base left white and inscribed with a six-character reign mark within a double ring in underglaze blue

Collection of the Utterson Family.
Collection of R.H.R. Palmer.
Sotheby’s London, 28th May 1968, lot 104.

Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, London, 1994-2010, vol. 2, no. 705.

There is a 2.5 cm hairline crack to the rim at 11 o'clock with some tiny associated losses of clay, two minute chips joined by a small crack in the glaze at 6 o'clock, and a 2.5 cm hairline crack at 8 o'clock. There are some trapped air bubbles and a 5 mm polished iron spot (or kiln grit) on the interior with some associated scratches to the glaze around. There are two minor nicks to the rim and a couple of pin-prick air bubbles on the base. The white base is slightly more bluish and the blue a little less purple compared to the catalogue illustration but overall the tones are quite well rendered on the photo.
"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."

The cobalt-blue glaze, which was occasionally already used in the Yuan dynasty (AD 1279-1368), became popular at the imperial kilns during the Xuande period (AD 1426-35), but is hardly seen thereafter before being revived in the Jiajing reign (AD 1522-66), when it was also used for bowls and jars. A similar, slightly larger dish of Jiajing mark and period in the Palace Museum, Beijing, from the Qing court collection, is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Monochrome Porcelain, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 70, together with a Xuande prototype, pl. 66; another Jiajing dish in the Shanghai Museum is published in Zhongguo taoci quanji [Complete series on Chinese ceramics], Shanghai, 1999-2000, vol. 13, pl. 57. A similar dish in the Sir Percival David Collection in the British Museum is illustrated in Margaret Medley, Illustrated Catalogue of Ming and Ch’ing Monochrome in the Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, London, 1973, no. A 588; another of larger size from the R.E.R. Luff Will Trust was sold in our London rooms, 26th June 1973, lot 26.