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Lot Essay
The present charger is of shallow rounded sides rising from a short foot to an everted bracket-lobed rim, the interior is decorated in the centre medallion in cobalt blue with bamboo growing from an exotic rock, surrounded by blossoming lotus and morning glory branches, and two melons borne on undulating stems, all encircled by a scrolling border, and a cavetto decorated with white blooming peony scrolls on a blue ground, and the barbed rim is decorated with a band of crashing waves. The exterior is decorated with a leafy lotus scroll.
Blue and white chargers of this type are among the most impressive and characteristic porcelains of the Yuan dynasty. Their monumental scale is immediately striking, a technical feature that was unachieved before Yuan dynasty. Their grand proportions and thick potting were specifically tailored to Middle Eastern culinary traditions, where large platters were essential for communal dining at royal banquets. Furthermore, the lavish application of costly imported cobalt pigment, particularly with the reverse-decorated peony band on the wall, reflects an extraordinarily high production cost that strictly limited the number of examples that could be produced.
The central composition represents a seamless synthesis of traditional Chinese literati motifs and decorative elements tailored to international taste. The lush bamboo and exotic rockwork are classic Chinese motifs frequently celebrated by literati painters and enjoyed across various media. Framing this central scene, the dense, intricate scrolling florals on the interior cavetto and walls were designed to cater directly to Islamic aesthetic sensibilities and decorative traditions. This harmonious imagery presents a universal appeal that captivated patrons across Asia for centuries.
When the Jingdezhen kilns began producing chargers of such grand proportions, Chinese porcelain entered a transformative era. Ultimately, the present charger stands as a monument to breakthroughs in ceramic production, culinary history, and the rich artistic dialogue between China and the Middle East.
It is exceptional to find a charger of this type decorated with bamboo only in the centre of the medallion, and framed by three distinct decorative bands. A closely comparable dish from the Ottoman court collection, now in the Topkapi Saray Museum, Istanbul, is illustrated by Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics in the Topkapi Saray Museum, Istanbul, ed. John Ayers, London, 1986, vol. 2, p. 392, no. 561, which features a similar scene in the centre, a moulded white peony scroll and a wave border on the rim. Another related charger with a similar centre as the Istanbul dish, decorated with chrysanthemum scroll on the rim is in the collection of Shanghai Museum, see Splendors in Smalt. Art of Yuan Blue-and-white Porcelain, Shanghai, 2012, cat. no. 27. Compare also to a blue and white charger decorated with similar motif, yet lacking moulding or reserve decoration in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, object no.: 1991.253.35 (fig. 1). Two further barbed-rim dishes with similar motifs have appeared in auctions, one decorated with plantain and lotus in the centre, moulded with peony blossom on the wall and crashing waves at the everted rim, formerly in the collection of Michel Ney (1769-1815), Field Marshal under Napoleon I, sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 5 October 2016, lot 3636; another also with plantain leaf and lotus in the centre but moulded with various fruits on the wall, formerly in the Tianminlou Collection, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 November 2023, lot 2702 (fig. 2).
Blue and white chargers of this type are among the most impressive and characteristic porcelains of the Yuan dynasty. Their monumental scale is immediately striking, a technical feature that was unachieved before Yuan dynasty. Their grand proportions and thick potting were specifically tailored to Middle Eastern culinary traditions, where large platters were essential for communal dining at royal banquets. Furthermore, the lavish application of costly imported cobalt pigment, particularly with the reverse-decorated peony band on the wall, reflects an extraordinarily high production cost that strictly limited the number of examples that could be produced.
The central composition represents a seamless synthesis of traditional Chinese literati motifs and decorative elements tailored to international taste. The lush bamboo and exotic rockwork are classic Chinese motifs frequently celebrated by literati painters and enjoyed across various media. Framing this central scene, the dense, intricate scrolling florals on the interior cavetto and walls were designed to cater directly to Islamic aesthetic sensibilities and decorative traditions. This harmonious imagery presents a universal appeal that captivated patrons across Asia for centuries.
When the Jingdezhen kilns began producing chargers of such grand proportions, Chinese porcelain entered a transformative era. Ultimately, the present charger stands as a monument to breakthroughs in ceramic production, culinary history, and the rich artistic dialogue between China and the Middle East.
It is exceptional to find a charger of this type decorated with bamboo only in the centre of the medallion, and framed by three distinct decorative bands. A closely comparable dish from the Ottoman court collection, now in the Topkapi Saray Museum, Istanbul, is illustrated by Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics in the Topkapi Saray Museum, Istanbul, ed. John Ayers, London, 1986, vol. 2, p. 392, no. 561, which features a similar scene in the centre, a moulded white peony scroll and a wave border on the rim. Another related charger with a similar centre as the Istanbul dish, decorated with chrysanthemum scroll on the rim is in the collection of Shanghai Museum, see Splendors in Smalt. Art of Yuan Blue-and-white Porcelain, Shanghai, 2012, cat. no. 27. Compare also to a blue and white charger decorated with similar motif, yet lacking moulding or reserve decoration in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, object no.: 1991.253.35 (fig. 1). Two further barbed-rim dishes with similar motifs have appeared in auctions, one decorated with plantain and lotus in the centre, moulded with peony blossom on the wall and crashing waves at the everted rim, formerly in the collection of Michel Ney (1769-1815), Field Marshal under Napoleon I, sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 5 October 2016, lot 3636; another also with plantain leaf and lotus in the centre but moulded with various fruits on the wall, formerly in the Tianminlou Collection, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 November 2023, lot 2702 (fig. 2).