AN UNDERGLAZE-BLUE AND YELLOW-ENAMEL 'GARDENIA' DISH MARK AND PERIOD OF ZHENGDE

the shallow rounded sides rising from a slightly tapered foot, freely painted on the interior in shaded tones of cobalt with a leafy branch bearing two five-petalled gardenia blooms and a tightly closed bud, encircled on the cavetto by fruiting branches of pomegranate, grape, peach and a beribboned lotus bouquet, all between double-line borders, the underside with a continuous floral scroll of large blooming roses borne on a foliate stem, between double lines at the rim and foot, all reserved on a deep yellow-enamel ground, save for a white base inscribed in underglaze blue with a six-character reign mark within double circles

Sotheby's London, 7th May 1963, lot 53.
Collection of the Toguri Museum of Art, Tokyo.
Sotheby's London, 9th June 2004, lot 40.

Oriental Blue and White, Toguri Museum of Art, Tokyo, 1988, cat. no. 14.

Fujioka Ryoichi and Hasebe Gakuji, Sekai toji zenshu/Ceramic Art of the World, vol. 14, Tokyo, 1976, col. pl. 171.
Chinese Ceramics in the Toguri Collection, Tokyo, 1988, cat. no. 93.

The mouth has a 1.3 cm hairline crack above the grapes. The rim has a four other hairline cracks (max. 1.5 cm), which are only visible on the interior and do not pass through to the exterior. Apart from some surface scratches and minor wear to the enamel, 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."

Zhengde dishes of this design are known with both four and six-character reign marks. An example of each in the British Museum, London, is published in Jessica Harrison-Hall, Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, London, 2001, pls. 8:23 and 8:24. Another closely related dish with a six-character mark in the Shanghai Museum is illustrated in Mingdai guanyao ciqi, Shanghai, 2007, pl. 1-41; one with a four-character mark in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is included in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red, vol. 2, Shanghai, 2000, pl. 233, together with Chenghua and Hongzhi prototypes, pls. 230 and 231. While the design generally remained similar, on Zhengde versions the fruit and flower sprays can be differently distributed around the central motif.