YONGZHENG FOUR-CHARACTER SEAL MARK IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE AND OF THE PERIOD (1723-1735)

Stoutly potted dishes of this type were intended to serve as trays for small flower jardinières or flower pots. See, for example, the Yonzheng-marked teadust-glazed jardinière and stand sold in these rooms, 20 March 2001, lot 274, and the Yongzheng-marked red-glazed flower pot and tray illustrated in Catalog of the Special Exhibition of K'ang-Hsi, Yung-Cheng and Ch'ien-Lung Porcelain Ware from the Ch'ing Dynasty in the Palace Museum, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1986, p. 72, no. 35. See, also, a similar Yongzheng-marked 'sky-blue'-glazed dish of similar shape and size and  sold at Christie's New York, 13-14 September 2014, lot 1540. Unlike all of the aforementioned dishes, which have plain exteriors, the present dish is unusual amongst the group for having a lobed exterior.