AN EXCEPTIONALLY LARGE AND RARE MOULDED DINGYAO 'LOTUS' DISH NORTHERN SONG – JIN DYNASTY |

with shallow rounded sides supported on a tapered foot, moulded on the interior with a key-fret bordered medallion enclosing leafy lotus sprays, surrounded by additional lotus blooms wreathed in dense foliage, covered overall save for the rim with a transparent ivory-tinged glaze

Good overall condition, with just shallow chips to the rim (largest 0.4cm) and other minor rubbing and surface wear.
"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."

This piece belongs to a distinct group of large dishes from the Dingyao kilns in Hebei province, with elaborate designs made using a mushroom-shaped mould. Dishes of this type were pressed onto the mould before the edges were trimmed down, a technique that allowed for the manufacture of large quantities of finely decorated wares. Dishes moulded with this design are held in important museums and private collections worldwide; two dishes of this design, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, were included in the Museum’s exhibition Decorated Porcelains of Dingzhou. White Ding Wares from the Collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2014, cat. nos II-159 and II-160; a dish in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in Selection of Ding Ware, Beijing, 2012, pl. 84; another inscribed with the character dian (‘palace’) on the foot, from the Sir Percival David collection, now in the British Museum, London, is illustrated in Hin-Cheung Lovell, Illustrated Catalogue of Ting Yao and Related White Wares, London, 1964, pl. VIII, no. 164; and a further dish in the Cleveland Museum of Art, is illustrated in Jan Wirgin, Sung Ceramic Designs, Stockholm, 1970, pl. 78b. See also a dish of this type recovered from a shipwreck that sunk off the coast of Korea in 1323, illustrated in Relics Salvaged from the Seabed off Sinan, Seoul, 1985, vol. 1, pl. 122.