A Blue and White 'Lotus Bouquet' Dish Ming Dynasty, Yongle Period

superbly potted with shallow rounded sides rising from a tapered foot, decorated on the interior in deep cobalt blue with a medallion enclosing a ribbon-tied bouquet of lotus flowers and leaves, arrowhead and other waterplants, the medallion encircled with a composite floral scroll of camellia, hibiscus, pomegranate, tree peony, rose, lotus and chrysanthemum, all repeated twice save for the pomegranate, all below a band of 'classic' scroll bordering the rim, the scroll issuing leaves of various sizes and shapes, the exterior similarly decorated with a composite floral scroll, between a key-fret band bordering the rim and 'classic' scroll above the foot, the foot encircled with a single-line border, the recessed base left unglazed

The dish is of very good condition except for a 0.2 x 0.1cm burst bubble, on the rim at round 7 O'clock position and two smaller ones, 0.1cm diameter on 1 and 12 O'clock position. There are also minute expected pinholes on the rim.
"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 lotus bouquet motif, with its unexpected combination of lotus flowers, leaves and water weeds, tied with a ribbon and evoking strikingly coloured lotus ponds in full bloom during the summer, became very popular in the Yongle period. Dishes of this small size, typically more finely painted than the larger version, are, however, comparatively rare. Of thirty-four lotus-bouquet dishes recorded from the Ardabil Shrine in Iran, only three are of this small size; see John Alexander Pope, Chinese Porcelains from the Ardebil Shrine, Washington, D.C., 1956, pls. 30 and 31, nos. 29.16, 17, and 32. A closely related dish from the Meiyintang collection, illustrated in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, vol. 2, London, 1994, pl. 665, was sold in these rooms 4th April 2012, lot 37; and another from the Greenwald collection, was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 1st December 2010, lot 2803.

This design was revived again by the imperial kilns during the Yongzheng and Qianlong periods of the Qing Dynasty; compare three revival dishes in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Geng Baochang, ed., Gugong bowuyuan cang Ming chu qinghua ci [Early Ming blue-and-white porcelain in the Palace Museum], vol. 2, Beijing, 2002, pls. 195, 199, and 203.