Provenance
Jorge Welsh Works of Art, Lisbon/London, with their labels to the reverse.
The Mr. and Mrs. Baert-Devos Collection, Belgium, acquired from the above in 2011.
Exhibited and illustrated:
Jorge Welsh Works of Art, Lisbon/London, included in their 2009 exhibition of 'Art of the Expansion and Beyond', and illustrated in the accompanying catalogue, pp. 83, cat. no. 5.
TEFAF Maastricht, Jorge Welsh Works of Art, 2011.
Description
This heavily potted blue and white dish belongs to the earliest group of Chinese export porcelains made for the Portuguese market in the late 15th and early 16th century, commonly known as the ‘First Orders’. These wares were initially commissioned through Chinese merchants operating in Malacca and, following the Portuguese settlement at Macau in 1557, were ordered directly from China.
The dish is decorated in underglaze blue with a central winged dragon (yinglong) medallion. The reverse bears five medallions alternating between the armillary sphere, a bird perched beside a hare, and the Portuguese royal coat-of-arms. Such dishes form part of a small and distinctive group characterized by sketchily rendered Western motifs, often copied imperfectly by Chinese painters; notably, the Portuguese coat-of-arms is frequently shown inverted or inaccurately detailed.
The armillary sphere, the personal emblem of King Manuel I of Portugal (r. 1495–1521), and the royal coat-of-arms were closely associated symbols of Portuguese royal authority and maritime expansion. Their appearance on these early export porcelains reflects the close commercial links established between Portugal and China during the earliest phase of direct maritime trade.
Reference:
A near-identical dish, but with a phoenix in the centre, is in the Albuequerque Foundation, Sintra, Portugal and illustrated in 'The RA Collection of Chinese Ceramics. A Collector's Vision', Maria Antonia Pinto de Matos, Jorge Welsh Books, pp. 148-149, no. 58, inv. no. 137. Another closely comparable example was sold with Veritas Art Auctioneers, Lisbon, 10 October 2013, lot 269. (sold EUR 110.000,00) (link)
Zhengde
Dia.: 30,7 cm
Estimation
€ 60.000,00 – € 120.000,00
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Provenance
Jorge Welsh Works of Art, Lisbon/London, with their labels to the reverse.
The Mr. and Mrs. Baert-Devos Collection, Belgium, acquired from the above in 2011.
Exhibited and illustrated:
Jorge Welsh Works of Art, Lisbon/London, included in their 2009 exhibition of 'Art of the Expansion and Beyond', and illustrated in the accompanying catalogue, pp. 83, cat. no. 5.
TEFAF Maastricht, Jorge Welsh Works of Art, 2011.