A Junyao rectangular jardinière stand, Early Ming dynasty | 明初 鈞窰天藍釉長方倭角花盆托 「十」字款

Qin Dashu, Junyao Ceramics from the Beixuan Shuzhai Collection, Hong Kong, 2017, pl. 35.

秦大樹，《柏煊書齋．鈞窰》，香港，2017年，圖版35

This rectangular jardiniere stand is in a very elegant form, with lobed corners, a flattened rim with a narrow-raised edge and four cloud-shaped feet and would have been used at the early Ming (1368-1644) court together with a flower pot. The appreciation of Jun ware jardiniere sets continued at the Qing court, with many examples having survived in the Palace Museum, Beijing and the Palace Museum, Taipei.

Jun ware flower vessels of rectangular shape are much rarer than those of round or lobed form. A rectangular jardiniere stand in similar bluish glaze, also inscribed with the numeral shi (ten), was sold in our London rooms, 10th December 1991, lot 140, and entered the collection of Robert Chang. It was sold again at Christie’s New York, 21st March 2002, lot 149, entered the Shimian Lingbi Shanju Collection in North America, and was recently sold again in Beijing; see also a slightly larger example inscribed with the numeral jiu (nine) in a lighter bluish tone, sold in our London rooms, 5th December 1995, lot 367.