RED ENAMEL WANLI SIX-CHARACTER MARK AND OF THE PERIOD (1573-1620)

Details

A LARGE AND VERY RARE MING CLOISONNÉ ENAMEL BASIN
RED ENAMEL WANLI SIX-CHARACTER MARK AND OF THE PERIOD (1573-1620)
The sides decorated with four quatrefoil panels enclosing alternating red and blue dragons reserved on a lotus scroll ground interspersed with Buddhist emblems, below a border of shou and wan emblems and above stiff petals and flower sprigs around the base and foot, the interior with traces of gilt remaining
12½ in. (31.7 cm.) diam.

Provenance

Christie's Hong Kong, 30 October 1994, lot 367

Special notice

VAT rate of 5% is payable on hammer price and at 15% on the buyer's premium

Lot Essay

It appears that no other large Wanli-marked bowl of this design has been published. Most of the extant Wanli-marked pieces decorated with dragons are floral-rimmed dishes, such as the one in the Beijing Palace Museum, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures from the Palace Museum - Metal-bodied Enamel Wares, Hong Kong, 2001, p. 49, pl. 47; the one in the British Museum, illustrated by Sir Harry Garner in Chinese and Japanese Cloisonné Enamels, London, 1970, pl. F; and the one sold in our Hong Kong Rooms, 30th May 2005, lot 1267.

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