AN IMPERIAL YELLOW-GLAZED DISH MARK AND PERIOD OF ZHENGDE

with rounded sides rising from a tapered foot to a flared rim, covered overall in a rich egg-yolk yellow glaze stopping neatly at the foot, the base glazed white and inscribed with a six-character reign mark in underglaze blue within a double circle

Collection of Lord Harvey of Tasburgh, until 1963.
Sotheby's London, 23rd July 1963, lot 78 (£570).
Bluett & Sons Ltd, London, 1963 (£570).
Collection of Roger Pilkington (1928-69), from 1963 (£655:10).

There is a small typical glaze flake to the mouthrim. Other minor surface wear and original firing flaws, including a 0.3 cm flaw under the 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."

The deep and rich yellow covering this dish is characteristic of imperial yellow wares of the Zhengde reign, achieved through a slight increase in the amount of iron oxide to the iron-yellow enamel. Porcelain wares enamelled in yellow, are believed to have been produced solely for use at the imperial court, although a small number were given as tribute gifts; two yellow bowls of Zhengde mark and period, for example, were in the Ottoman Royal collection and are now in the Topkapi Saray Museum, Istanbul, see Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics in the Topkapi Saray Museum, Istanbul, London, 1986, vol. 2, col. pl. 775.

Zhengde mark and period dishes of this form and glaze are held in important museums and private collections worldwide; see, for example, one in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collections of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Monochrome Porcelain, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 41; another from the Sir Percival David collection and now in the British Museum, London, published in Margaret Medley, Illustrated Catalogue of Ming and Ch’ing Monochrome in the Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, London, 1973, pl. 597; and a third from the Koger collection, included in John Ayers, Chinese Ceramics. The Koger Collection, London, 1985, pl. 69. Further related dishes include one from the collection of Mr and Mrs Gilbert Barker, sold in these rooms, 11th June 1996, lot 32; another from the collection of B. and V. Lake and Feihong Ge, included in the Oriental Ceramic Society exhibition Monochrome Porcelain of the Ming and Manchu Dynasties, London, 1948, cat. no. 175, and sold twice at Christie’s Hong Kong, 27th April 1997, lot 64, and 26th April 2004, lot 1029; and a further dish from the collection of Lady William Clayton, sold at Christie’s London in 1996, at Christie’s New York in 2008, and more recently in our Hong Kong rooms, 8th October 2013, lot 211.