A COPPER-RED DECORATED 'FLOWER' CUPSTAND MING DYNASTY, HONGWU PERIOD

finely potted with shallow lobed sides rising to a barbed everted rim divided into eight bracket foliations, freely painted in underglaze copper-red of soft grey-brown colour, the central cup-holder with a radiating ruyi-head motif encircled by a raised bevelled border picked out with small lappets and a band of pomegranate flower scroll within double-lines, all below foliate sprays of formal lotus viewed from different angles around the cavetto and a 'classic' scroll on the lipped rim, the underside crisply moulded with radiating petal lappets enclosing pendent ruyi below a band of key-fret on the outer rim, the slightly recessed base encircled with a neatly cut foot ring, left unglazed and burnt orange in the firing    

Sotheby's Hong Kong, 27th April 1993, lot 34.

There are two small chips on the rim, one from a burst bubble, and glaze gaps on the interior (showing on the illustration in the catalogue), otherwise the cupstand is in good condition.
"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."

This piece is unusual for the pomegranate flower scroll, each bloom painted in profile to reveal the white calyx, which encircles the central ruyi-head medallion. Cupstands of this type are more commonly found with chrysanthemum scrolls or mixed flower scrolls in place of the pomegranate flowers; see one painted with chrysanthemums, in the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, illustrated in Underglaze Blue and Red, Hong Kong, 1987, pl. 39; and another depicting a composite floral scroll, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30^th May 2006, lot 1249. A related cupstand with similar decoration but with a scroll of peonies, in the British Museum, London, is included in Oriental Ceramics. The World’s Great Collections, vol. 5, Tokyo, 1981, col. pl. 73.

Compare blue and white cupstands of this type, such as one from the collection of Dr. Ip Yee, included in the Min Chiu Society Exhibition of an Anthology of Chinese Ceramics, Hong Kong, 1980, cat. no. 72, and sold in these rooms, 19^th November 1984, lot 176, painted with a central medallion of radiating ruyi-heads but encircled by a scroll of lotus and other flowers.