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Lot Essay
This superb dish exemplifies a distinguished category of Ming dynasty blue-and-white porcelains that was held in exceptional esteem by the imperial courts of Asia during the 15th to 17th centuries. It was produced at the imperial kilns for the Yongle Emperor (1403–25), whose reign is celebrated for the extraordinary refinement of the artworks made for his palace and particularly, for dishes of this type. Archaeological excavations at Jingdezhen—the site of the imperial kilns—have uncovered a number of dishes of related form and scale, decorated either in underglaze cobalt blue or in gilt.
Blue-and-white porcelains of this type were also deeply admired by the Ottoman sultans. This is clearly reflected in the renowned holdings of the Topkapi Saray Museum in Istanbul, which include numerous early 15th-century examples of similar proportions and design variations; see J. Ayers and R. Krahl, Chinese Ceramics in the Topkapi Saray Museum, vol. II, 1986, pp. 512–4, nos. 601, 602, and 605.
In Safavid Iran, early 15th‑century Chinese porcelain dishes of this form were highly valued. The Safavid dynasty, ruling from 1501 to 1736 and originating from Iranian Kurdistan before settling in Ardabil, is particularly associated with the famous Ardabil Shrine complex. Under Shah ‘Abbas I (r. 1571–1629), the shrine was endowed with more than a thousand pieces of Chinese porcelain. By the summer of 1611 these works were installed in the shrine’s “China Chamber.” The enduring Safavid admiration for dishes of this very pattern is demonstrated by the eleven surviving examples still preserved at Ardabil; three are illustrated in J.A. Pope’s Chinese Porcelains from the Ardebil Shrine, London, 1981, pl. 35, nos. 29.101–111.
Dishes of this bracket‑lobed form appear with a range of decorative schemes. The rims may be decorated with wave designs, floral scroll, or—as seen on the present dish—the auspicious lingzhi scroll. The cavetto typically features naturalistic floral sprigs, though a stylized variant with stems curling around the blossoms is also known. This latter style, combined with a wave border, can be seen on a dish in the Percival David Collection (Blue and White for China, 2004, pp. 22–3, no. 3). Central panels vary as well, featuring grape clusters (e.g., the British Museum dish illustrated in J. Harrison‑Hall, Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, 2001, p. 117, no. 3:36), a hexafoil floral scroll (see the excavated dish published by the Chang Foundation, pp. 165–5, no. 50), or, as on the present dish, a foliate medallion of four blooms encircling a central flower.
Beyond the examples in the National Palace Museum and at Ardabil, dishes with identical decoration to the current dish can be found in the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Stockholm, published by J. Wirgin, Ming Porcelain in the Collection of the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities: Hongwu to Chenghua, Stockholm, 1991, cat. no. 13; the Museum of Decorative Arts, Copenhagen, published by A. Leth, Kinesisk Kunst i Kunstindustri Museet: Catalogue of Selected objects of Chinese Art in the Museum of Decorative Art, Copenhagen, Copenhagen, 1959, cat. no. 108; and the Meiyintang collection, published by R. Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, vols. 1-2, London, 1994, cat. no. 662; while another from the collection of Professor E.T. Hall was published by Eskenazi in the catalogue Yuan and Early Ming Blue and White Porcelain, London, 1994, p. 36, cat. no. 11.
Blue-and-white porcelains of this type were also deeply admired by the Ottoman sultans. This is clearly reflected in the renowned holdings of the Topkapi Saray Museum in Istanbul, which include numerous early 15th-century examples of similar proportions and design variations; see J. Ayers and R. Krahl, Chinese Ceramics in the Topkapi Saray Museum, vol. II, 1986, pp. 512–4, nos. 601, 602, and 605.
In Safavid Iran, early 15th‑century Chinese porcelain dishes of this form were highly valued. The Safavid dynasty, ruling from 1501 to 1736 and originating from Iranian Kurdistan before settling in Ardabil, is particularly associated with the famous Ardabil Shrine complex. Under Shah ‘Abbas I (r. 1571–1629), the shrine was endowed with more than a thousand pieces of Chinese porcelain. By the summer of 1611 these works were installed in the shrine’s “China Chamber.” The enduring Safavid admiration for dishes of this very pattern is demonstrated by the eleven surviving examples still preserved at Ardabil; three are illustrated in J.A. Pope’s Chinese Porcelains from the Ardebil Shrine, London, 1981, pl. 35, nos. 29.101–111.
Dishes of this bracket‑lobed form appear with a range of decorative schemes. The rims may be decorated with wave designs, floral scroll, or—as seen on the present dish—the auspicious lingzhi scroll. The cavetto typically features naturalistic floral sprigs, though a stylized variant with stems curling around the blossoms is also known. This latter style, combined with a wave border, can be seen on a dish in the Percival David Collection (Blue and White for China, 2004, pp. 22–3, no. 3). Central panels vary as well, featuring grape clusters (e.g., the British Museum dish illustrated in J. Harrison‑Hall, Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, 2001, p. 117, no. 3:36), a hexafoil floral scroll (see the excavated dish published by the Chang Foundation, pp. 165–5, no. 50), or, as on the present dish, a foliate medallion of four blooms encircling a central flower.
Beyond the examples in the National Palace Museum and at Ardabil, dishes with identical decoration to the current dish can be found in the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Stockholm, published by J. Wirgin, Ming Porcelain in the Collection of the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities: Hongwu to Chenghua, Stockholm, 1991, cat. no. 13; the Museum of Decorative Arts, Copenhagen, published by A. Leth, Kinesisk Kunst i Kunstindustri Museet: Catalogue of Selected objects of Chinese Art in the Museum of Decorative Art, Copenhagen, Copenhagen, 1959, cat. no. 108; and the Meiyintang collection, published by R. Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, vols. 1-2, London, 1994, cat. no. 662; while another from the collection of Professor E.T. Hall was published by Eskenazi in the catalogue Yuan and Early Ming Blue and White Porcelain, London, 1994, p. 36, cat. no. 11.