A Carved Black and Red Guri Lacquer Bowlstand Ming Dynasty, 15th Century

of globular form with rounded sides collared with a six-lobed dish resembling a mallow flower, all supported on a hollow flared foot, deeply carved overall through thick layers of black and red lacquer, the foot and the bowl with five ruyi-head shaped pommels, the lobed dish with nine further pommels contained within a round lip and repeated on the underside, the layers of red lacquer appearing in two thin lines sandwiched between the layers of lustrous brownish-black guri

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. 31.
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. 32.

There are some age cracks or breaks to the dish collaring the bowl. There are a few that have been stabilized with traces of old brown relacquering, including a 4 by 2.5 cm section, possibly a restored chip, visible on the underside and another 2.5 by 1 cm on the opposite side. There is further retouching to the rim of the bowl and the upper section on the interior may also have been relacquered while the black lacquer on the interior of the foot appears to be older with crackles extending from the foot to the joint with the dish. Overall the bowlstand seems to have had limited restoration over the years and is in particularly 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."

Bowlstands with a six-lobed flange, as seen on the present piece, are rare, although one, in the Tokugawa Art Museum, Nagoya, is illustrated in Karamono. Imported Lacquer – Chinese, Korean and Ryukyuan (Okinawa), Tokyo, 1997, pl. 8; another was offered in our New York rooms, 8^th May 1981, lot 77; and a further example, from the Qing court collection and still in Beijing, is published in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Lacquer Wares of the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, Shanghai, 2006, pl. 10. See also a stand of this elegant shape, but of the Song dynasty, included in the exhibition 2000 Years of Chinese Lacquer, Art Gallery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1993, cat. no. 23, which may have served as the prototype to this piece.

Lacquer bowlstands with a circular flange are more readily available; for example see one from the collection of Edward T. Chow, sold at Christie’s London, 14^th December 1983, lot 20, attributed to the 16^th century; another in the collection of the Tokugawa Art Museum, Nagoya, included in the museum’s exhibition Carved Lacquer, Nagoya, 1984, cat. no. 20; a third bowlstand of this type sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 28^th October 2002, lot 583; and one in the British Museum, London, illustrated in Harry Garner, Chinese Lacquer, London, 1979, pl. 27. 

For the inspiration see a tixi lacquer bowlstand, attributed to the Song and Yuan periods, from the Lee Family collection and included in five exhibitions around the world, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 3^rd December 2008, lot 2114.