Lot Essay
In her article 'Sources of Decoration in Chinese Porcelain from the 14th to 16th Century', Percival David Foundation Colloquies, no. 5, pgs. 60-61, M. Medley discusses popular dramas of the day painted on a group of porcelains, 'the work of a professional painter of the highest order' of the time. These are mostly seen on blue and white wares. The present lot is unusual in that the detailed decoration is moulded and carved and not painted.
For blue and white examples painted with figures in narrative scenes, probably depicting scenes from popular plays or stories of the period, cf. a guan included in the Exhibition of Blue and White Wares of the Yuan Dynasty, Osaka Municipal Art Museum, 1985, Catalogue, no. 7, with ladies in flowing robes, one holding a white silk handkerchief
For blue and white examples painted with figures in narrative scenes, probably depicting scenes from popular plays or stories of the period, cf. a guan included in the Exhibition of Blue and White Wares of the Yuan Dynasty, Osaka Municipal Art Museum, 1985, Catalogue, no. 7, with ladies in flowing robes, one holding a white silk handkerchief