A RARE AND EXCEPTIONAL BLACK LACQUER DISH YUAN DYNASTY, 14TH CENTURY |

of square section with canted corners, the shallow rounded sides supported on a straight foot of corresponding shape, intricately and densely carved through thick layers of black lacquer to an ochre ground, the interior centred with a similarly lobed cartouche enclosing a pair of long-tailed birds, one soaring and the other swooping amidst lush leafy peony blooms, the cavetto decorated with four panels of alternating composite floral blooms including prunus, chrysanthemum, gardenia and peony, encircled around the exterior with an undulating tixi foliate scroll, the foot and base lacquered in black

Bluett & Sons Ltd, London.

Regina Krahl and Brian Morgan, From Innovation to Conformity. Chinese Lacquer from the 13th to 16th Centuries, Bluett & Sons, London, 1989, cat. no. 3.

As visible in the catalogue photos, there are age cracks, especially at the rim and the underside of the dish. Minor bruises at the rim, and other general surface wear, and small areas of retouching.
"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 17th century manual for lacquer manufacture, Xiushi lu [A Treatise of Lacquer Art], illustrates the high level of esteem in which black lacquer wares have been held. Through drawing comparisons with cinnabar lacquer wares, it highlights the understated elegance of black lacquer. Black lacquer wares are produced from carving a design through a build-up of layers of lacquer; carved through the thick layers of black lacquer, the precise and rounded outlines of the present dish demonstrate the craftsman’s skilled execution. In addition to the fine incisions picked out to accentuate the birds’ plumage, the vibrancy of the design is further brought out through the meticulous detailing of the floral veins and rendering of the dense foliage. Documented literary sources state that lacquer carving started in the Tang dynasty, however, excavated examples can only be traced back to as early as the Song dynasty. Building upon an emulation of preceding reigns and the contemporaneous growing popularity of carved lacquer, Song dynasty lacquer wares exude a sense of modesty, which, complemented with a monochromatic scheme, became highly extolled and praised by the gentry and scholar-literati. The production of certain lacquer vessels ceased by the Yuan dynasty though the carved lacquer repertoire remained largely similar; the minimalistic elegance of monochrome lacquer carving became further heightened with a more lustrous finish.

Extant black lacquer wares dated to the Song-Yuan dynasty are extremely rare. A similar Yuan dynasty dish of this shape but smaller in size, from the collection of Florence and Herbert Irving and now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, is published in James C.Y. Watt and Barbara Brennan Ford, East Asian Lacquer, New York, 1991, pl. 18; see also a related circular example, dated to the Ming-Yuan dynasty, decorated with long-tailed birds and camellia blooms, illustrated ibid., pl. 20.