YONGZHENG/QIANLONG PERIOD, FIRST HALF 18TH CENTURY

Details

A LARGE MING-STYLE BLUE AND WHITE DISH
YONGZHENG/QIANLONG PERIOD, FIRST HALF 18TH CENTURY
Finely painted in rich cobalt blue with a central scene of two birds perched in the branches of a blossoming plum tree above sprays of bamboo and a section of angular rockwork, encircled by a band of composite foliate scroll below a narrow border of classic scroll, with a similar foliate frieze on the exterior set between a keyfret border above and a border of classic scroll below, all within line borders, the base unglazed
16 1/8 in. (41 cm.) diam., box

Lot Essay

The composition of the 'bird on a branch' theme in the medallion is probably an influence from Song dynasty album fan paintings, and fruiting branches appear to have been a popular choice for decorating the central medallion of large dishes. A larger related dish is illustrated in the Handbook of the Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection, Asia Society, New York, 1970, p. 83, and again by M. Medley, 'Blue-and-White and the Qing Dynasty', T.O.C.S, London, vol. 51, 1986-7, pl. 16. Compare, also, a dish illustrated by Geng Baochang, Ming Qing Ciqi Jianding, Hong Kong, 1993, p. 45, fig. 53, and another in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Kangxi. Yongzheng. Qianlong, Beijing, 1989, pl. 11.

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