A RARE MOLDED BLUE AND WHITE BARBED RIM DISH YUAN DYNASTY, 14TH CENTURY

Clients who wish to bid on the below lot should contact bids.newyork@sothebys.com or call 212-606-7414 at least 24 hours prior to the morning of the sale.

with bracket-lobed rim well painted with a lively wave pattern in underglaze blue of strong, inky tones, the shallow cavetto with eight reverse ground ruyi-form 'heaped and piled' reserves, molded in relief with fine detail, enclosing leafing peony against a ground of delicately undulating scrolls, the center formed by a large quatrefoil of neatly arched waves enclosing a circular medallion comprised of eight Buddhist flame motifs within radiating petal-shaped panels, the underside with freely drawn lotus scroll with characteristically spiky leaves all between line borders, all resting on a low wedge-shaped footrim, the unglazed base with a mark painted in cobalt

Acquired by the parents of the current owner in the 1950s and thence by descent.

In overall remarkably good condition. The dish has two hairline cracks to the rim; one approximately 2 3/4 inches, 7 cm and the other approximately 1 3/4 inches, 5 cm. The underside of the rim with an approximately 1 inch, 2.5 cm glaze crack, not visible on the upper side. The cracks are stained over time and should clean well. There are three minor flake chips and other minor fritting to rim, and several very minor firing splits. There is a single arced glaze smudge radiating outward from the central medallion. The dish has the expected scattered burst glaze bubbles, a few minute glaze gaps and minor wear, mainly to the rim edge where it has been upturned. The cobalt blue is of a rich, fine color and the glaze is remarkably lustrous.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Dishes with blue ground ruyi-shaped panels are known but none other with further ruyi-form reserves radiating from the center. The finely molded cavetto is another rare feature on this type of dish. Closely related examples with similar design elements are represented in several museums such as the Los Angeles County Museum, The Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka, the British Museum, London, the Victoria and Albert Museum, London and the Shanghai Museum (all lacking raised decoration). Two other dishes with similar design are illustrated in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics in the Topkapi Saray Museum, Istanbul: A Complete Catalogue II, Yuan and Ming Dynasty Porcelains, London, 1986, nos. 552, 553, pp. 489-490. A related dish with ruyi-form reserves from the H. M. Knight Collection was sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 18th May 1982, lot 20 and another with radiating Buddhist panels from the Wanniek Collection in our London rooms, 9th June 1987, lot 210.

There are over a hundred surviving examples of such dishes in the Near East, Central Asia and India, with those with molded decoration being relatively rare. It is interesting to note that while these dishes share many motifs, their combinations tend to be unique; underscoring the importance of each individual dish. Their large size and bold decoration represent the taste of the Yuan court with its habit of communal dining. This practice traveled from the Middle East along the silk route so it is not surprising that these impressive dishes were objects of great admiration and demand in that region as well. Margaret Medley notes in Chinese Ceramics and Islamic Design, Percival David Foundation Colloquies on Art and Archaeology in Asia, London, 1972, no. 3, that "the chief formative influence in Yuan blue and white design came from Islamic metalwork with its great enrichment of surface...and indefinite extension into space of mathematically conceived two dimension ornament." While this certainly holds true, the ingenious composition and inclusion of Buddhist emblems are distinctly Chinese.