A FINE AND RARE COPPER-RED DISH MARK AND PERIOD OF XUANDE

well potted with shallow rounded sides supported on a slightly tapered foot, elegantly flaring to an everted rim, applied evenly overall with a soft strawberry-red glaze fired to a glossy finish, draining to white at the rims, the base inscribed with a six-character reign mark in underglaze blue within double circles

The dish is slightly warped. Apart from a 1 mm minor burst bubble to the rim, the overall condition is very good. The glaze is of a soft and attractive strawberry-red tone which matches the catalogue illustration.
"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."

Fine underglaze red porcelains were made during the Xuande period, of which the present dish is a superb and rare example. The surface of this piece reveals the multiple layers applied to achieve the rich red colour. Shards from rejected porcelains have been excavated and reveal the exceptionally vigilant quality control at the kiln sites in Jingdezhen; see two examples of excavated dishes of this type included in the exhibition Xuande Imperial Porcelain Excavated at Jingdezhen, Chang Foundation, Taipei, 1998, cat. nos. 95-1 and 95-2.

A closely related dish in the Tianjin City Art Museum is illustrated in Tianjin shi yishi bowuguan, Tianjin, 1984, pl. 241. A slightly smaller dish of this type in the Shanghai Museum was included in the exhibition Chugoku rekidai toji ten, Seibu Art Museum, Tokyo, 1984, cat. no. 75; and two examples sold in our London rooms, one from the Enid and Brodie Lodge collection, 14^th March, 1972, lot 147, and the other from the collection of Michael Chok, 11^th June 1996, lot 29.

For a slightly larger related dish see one in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, published in Oriental Ceramics. The World's Great Collections, vol. 11, Tokyo, 1982, pl. 70; one illustrated in Zhongguo meishu quanji. Taoci, vol. 3, Shanghai, 1988, pl. 87; another in the Tianminlou collection and included in the Min Chiu Society Thirtieth Anniversary exhibition Selected Treasures of Chinese Art, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1990, cat. no. 153; and a fourth example sold in these rooms, 8^th October 2008, lot 2536.