A RARE BLUE AND WHITE 'GRAPE' DISH MING DYNASTY, YONGLE PERIOD

of barbed form with eight brackets on the everted rim framing the central lobed medallion enclosing a grape vine bearing fruits and flowers, encircled on the cavetto with sprays of peony, lychee, chrysanthemum, peach, rose, pomegranate, camellia and loquat, and eight lingzhi sprays on the rim, the exterior with lingzhi alternating with flower sprays, the cobalt blue of soft tone, the base left unglazed

Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, The British Museum, London, 1994.

Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, London, 1994-2010, vol. 2, no.  659.

The interior has a network of glaze crackles radiating out from the centre. They are superficial crackles. The unglazed base appears to be slightly polished.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The grape motif was very popular in the Yongle period, yet dishes of this exquisite shape and elegantly conceived design are very rare. Only three other examples appear to be recorded: one formerly in the Ardabil Shrine, Iran, and illustrated in John Alexander Pope, Chinese Porcelains from the Ardebil Shrine, Washington, D.C., 1956, pl. 29 bottom left, was sold in our London rooms 12th December 1978, lot 381; another is illustrated in Ryūsen Shūhō. Sōgyō shichijū shūnen kinen / Mayuyama: Seventy Years, Tokyo, 1976, vol. I, no. 750; and a third was offered in these rooms, 29th October 2001, lot 529. A fragmentary dish, reconstructed from sherds found at the waste heaps of the Ming imperial kiln site at Zhushan, Jingdezhen, was included in the exhibition Jingdezhen chutu Ming chu guanyao ciqi / Imperial Hongwu and Yongle Porcelain Excavated at Jingdezhen, Chang Foundation, Taipei, 1996, cat. no. 55, where it is suggested that the dish may have served as a stand for a cup, and a barbed cup decorated with lingzhi sprays is associated with it, cat. no. 56.