元 青花梅花靈芝紋高足盌

les bords évasés, l’intérieur librement peint de petites fleurs de lotus dans un médaillon, les bords décorés d’une frise d’arabesques, l’extérieur orné de branches de prunus en fleur et d’un croissant de lune, l’ensemble reposant sur un haut pied conique, accidents

William Kenneth Slatcher C.V.O.（1926-1997年）收藏，1958至1961年於北京任職英國高級專員（傳）
此後家族傳承

The stem cup is leaning to one side. There is a ca. 0.5cm wide shallow chip to the rim of the foot. There is a ca. 0.3x0.3cm large chip to the rim. There are 2 ca. 4cm long and 2 ca. 3cm long hairline cracks extending from the rim into the sides. There is some light wear to the interior and exterior, scattered glaze pulls and pin-point imperfections. The glaze is crackled and has a light bluish-grey tinge, the blue is of a darker tone than the catalogue illustration suggests.
"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."

Porcelain cups or shallow bowls raised on a high flared foot were a popular ceramic shape under the under the Mongols during the Yuan dynasty. They are among the earliest blue and white porcelains and were decorated with designs of striding sinuous dragons or thin branches set with flower blossoms or meandering leafy flower scrolls. Often, as on the present example, the designs were boldly and freely painted and sometimes highlighted with underlying moulded designs. Compare a stembowl similarly decorated with leafy flower scrolls, illustrated with other examples of blue and white stemcups of the Yuan period in The Complete Works of Chinese Ceramics, vol. 11. xia, Yuan, Shanghai, 2000, cat. no. 206, and cat. nos. 197-210. See also several examples excavated from hoards Jining, Inner Mongolia, Xingang, Anhui province and Gao'an, Jiangxi province, published in Splendors in Smalt: Art of Yuan Blue and White Porcelain, Shanghai, 2012, pls. 77-80.