明嘉靖 礬紅地青花萬壽龍紋方斗盤 《大明嘉靖年製》款

the shallow rounded sides rising from a gently tapered foot to a flaring rim, the interior boldly painted in underglaze blue with a ferocious five-clawed dragon writhing amongst flames above tumultuous waves crashing on jagged mountains, below a shou character flanked by wan symbols on ruyi clouds, all enclosed within a double-line border repeated at the rim, the exterior with four Buddhist lions at play with brocade balls, all reserved against a rich dark iron-red ground save for the rim and the base, the base inscribed with a six-character reign mark in underglaze blue

Chen Chi，日本
Bluett & Sons Ltd，倫敦，1961年
羅傑琵金頓(1928-69年)收藏，自1961年(£690)

Adrian Joseph，《Ming Porcelains: Their Origins and Development》，倫敦，1971年，編號 81

The mouthrim has been slightly polished down. There are typical wear to the iron red, which has been retouched at a few places on the interior cavetto. The iron red on the exterior of the bottom right corner is of a slightly darker tone, probably due to original firing. The base has some characteristic glaze pulls.
"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."

此方盤所繪之正面五爪龍紋，龍首之上一壽字，引人入勝。儘管此類青花紅彩之組合，宣德已有，然直至嘉靖五年（1526年），因對釉下銅紅彩之禁燒，釉上礬紅彩方得重用。

相類紋飾盤例，較為罕見，可參一北京故宮博物院藏例，錄《故宮博物院藏古陶瓷資料選萃》，北京，2005年，卷1，圖版157。另比一礬紅地留白正面龍紋方形盤，尺寸略大，藏於麻省劍橋福格藝術博物館，錄於 Daisy Lion-Goldschmidt 著，《Ming Porcelain》，倫敦，1978年，圖版169。