明永樂 剔紅周敦頤愛蓮圖葵式盤 《大明永樂年製》款

with shallow everted sides rising to a six-lobed rim, supported on a thin tapered footring of conforming section, deftly carved through rich layers of cinnabar lacquer to the ochre-yellow ground below, the interior with a six-lobed medallion depicting the Song scholar Zhou Dunyi eating at a table inside a storeyed pavilion, watching one of his attendants picking lotus in a pond while another carries a wine ewer towards him, all surrounded by cragged rocks, lush wutong and a tall overhanging pine tree against a ground of curving lines in the sky and waves in the distance, the cavetto decorated with six large flowers including chrysanthemum, camellia, hibiscus, peony and pomegranate, each wreathed in their matching foliage and repeated on the underside, all contained within a thick rolled lip picked out with ‘cash’ floral diapers, the base lacquered in brownish-black and finely incised with a needle with a six-character vertical reign mark on the left

仇焱之收藏
倫敦佳士得1983年12月14日，編號24

《中國漆藝二千年》，香港東方陶瓷學會，香港中文大學文物館，香港，1993年，編號41
《疊彩：抱一齋藏中國漆器》，香港中文大學文物館，香港，2010年，編號38

There is an old restoration to the tip of one of the peony leaves (approx 6 by 5 mm.), and a small patch of retouching to the rim between 12 and 1 o'clock. There are some expected age cracks to the lacquer across the rim and running through the ochre-yellow ground around the central medallion. There are some further minor age cracks in the foliate edges of the foot ring on the underside that have been stabilized and some horizontal age crackles to brownish-black lacquer on the base but overall the dish is in very 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."

此盤雕工精湛，琢磨細緻，為永樂朝漆器中之上乘之作。永樂朝御製雕刻品中，多採用元朝的流行題材。林業強在《疊彩：抱一齋藏中國漆器》，頁104中提到此盤上的紋飾為周敦頤賞蓮圖。周敦頤於樓閣中端坐於桌前，僮僕於一旁酒菜伺侯，另一僮僕手執蓮花站於荷塘邊。天、地、水三中錦地雕刻深邃精細，富立體感，令整體紋飾更為突出逼真。

一件較早期屬元朝、飾羲之愛鵝圖的海棠式盤，可能啟迪日後、包括現拍品之紋飾主題，見《中國漆藝二千年》，香港東方陶瓷學會，香港中文大學文物館，香港，1993年，編號36。另一件元朝的例子為 Florence 及 Herbert Irving 所藏，現借展於紐約大都藝術博物館，見屈志仁及Barbara Brennan Ford，《East Asian Lacquer》，紐約，1991年，圖23。

有一件同類漆盤，唯山水人物有異，同樣刻有永樂款的盤，曾展於東方陶瓷學會，見《The Arts of the Ming Dynasty》，倫敦，1957年，編號233，後售於倫敦蘇富比1963年12月3日，編號168。一件造型相同曾展於《From Innovation to Conformity, Chinese Lacquer from the 13^th to 16^th Centuries》，Bluett and Sons，倫敦，1989年，編號10。

花瓣造型的盤，如梅花盤在明朝永樂以後繼續製造。見一件帶萬曆干支款（1583年）2007年4月8日於香港蘇富比拍賣，編號758。