A CINNABAR LACQUER FIGURAL DISH MING DYNASTY, 16TH CENTURY

of circular form with shallow sides supported on a low foot, deftly carved through the layers of rich cinnabar lacquer, depicting a scholar wearing long robe sleeping at a table in front of a garden screen next to a wine ewer and cup placed on a low table nearby, while two attendants pick up fruit from a tree, as a third attendant paddles swiftly down on a stream in a flat-bottomed boat with four large sacks, all within a key-fret border and further encircled by a composite floral scroll of hibiscus, camellia, prunus and flowering pomegranate, repeated with birds on the underside, the base lacquered in black

Collection of Honganji Temple, Kyoto.
Collection of Count Ōtani Kōzui (1876-1948), 22nd Abbot of the Nishi Honganji Temple, Kyoto. 

The dish is in overall in very good condition with typical relacquering on the rim and base to stabilize age cracks and light touch up on the foot ring.
"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."

Although cinnabar lacquer dishes carved with a figural scene were common throughout the Ming dynasty, the present lot is distinctive for the diaper border that encircles the central scene, a compositional device more commonly seen on boxes. A dish of this type, also with a diaper border and floral scroll bordering a riverscape, and possibly done by the same hand, from the collection of Sir John and Lady Figgess, was sold in our London rooms, 14^th December 1983, lot 9.