A RARE CARVED CINNABAR LACQUER OVAL LOBED DISH YUAN DYNASTY

of oval lobed form, the shallow rounded sides resting on a short straight foot, the interior naturalistically carved with Wang Xizhi resting in a pavilion while looking out at a goose, the luxuriant landscape with large overhanging trees, the cavetto with a composite floral band, the exterior with a broad 'classic' scroll band, the base lacquered black

Keitaku Takagi (K. T. Lee).

2000 Years of Chinese Lacquer, Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong and the Art Gallery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1993, cat. no. 38.
Layered Beauty: The Baoyizhai Collection of Chinese Lacquer, Art Museum, Institute of Chinese Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2010, cat. no. 35.

There are several old breaks to the dish that have been professionally restored. The most severe of these are visible in the catalogue photo, including an arc break on the left lobe that extends through the pine trees. There does not appear to be any significant losses, and the overall fine carved design has been preserved. As visible, old age cracks throughout, to the interior and the underside, with some stabilisation to the interior cracks. There has been retouching to the rim and above the foot.
"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 idyllic scene illustrates the celebrated calligrapher, Wang Xizhi (AD 303-361), leisurely sitting at his pavilion while watching a goose swim by.  Wang found inspiration for his calligraphy in natural forms, including the graceful necks of geese, and his fondness for them is reflected in the famous story where he copied the Daoist classic Daodejing for a priest in exchange for a white goose. Scenes depicting scholars in a landscape setting were a Yuan design innovation, featuring on porcelains, jade and lacquer. Such scenes largely derived from printed woodblock texts of illustrated popular stories from the period, which were often inspired by contemporary painting. The present scene bears much resemblance to the handscroll painting Wang Xizhi Watching Geese by Qian Xuan (ca. 1235-before 1307), from the C.C. Wang Family collection and now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, included in the exhibition Chinese Art Under the Mongols: The Yuan Dynasty, Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, 1968, cat. no. 185. 

The present dish exemplifies the decorative arts of the Yuan dynasty which can be characterised by an emphasis on three-dimensional modelling and the complexity of surface decoration. Carved lacquer ware of the Yuan period was typically produced in high relief to allow for three-dimensional modelling and the overlapping of elements within the composition to allow for a greater sense of depth. These traits are illustrated in the intricately detailed trunk of the pine tree and grooves of the rocks on the right, as well as the thickness of the lacquer which has enabled the scene to be carved at varying levels of relief. 

A Yuan carved lacquer dish of this type, depicting the Tang dynasty tea connoisseur, Lu Yu (AD 733-804), in the National Museum of Scotland, is illustrated in Hu Shih-Chang and Jane Wilkinson, Chinese Lacquer, Edinburgh, 1998, pl. 11. Compare also two related dishes in the Palace Museum, Beijing, one of octagonal form, which also shares the distinct parallel grooves encircling the rim, and the other of circular shape, both published in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Lacquer Wares of the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, Hong Kong, 2006, pls 1 and 8; a petal-lobed dish carved with a scholar watching two ducks swimming, illustrated in Lee Yu-kuan, Oriental Lacquer Art, New York, 1972, pl. 101; and an oval dish sold in these rooms, 2nd November 1994, lot 256.