Provenance
A European private collection.
Marchant, London, with their label to the reverse.
The Mr. and Mrs. Baert-Devos Collection, Belgium. Acquired from the above in 2009 and accompanied by a copy of their original invoice. (see added scan)
Exhibited and illustrated:
Marchant, London, included in their 2009 exhibition of 'Ming Porcelain' and illustrated in the accompanying catalogue, pp. 12-13, no. 4. Also illustrated in their 2025 publication 'One Hundred Years', p. 188, no. 1362.
Description
Finely potted with steep rounded sides, the interior painted in rich cobalt-blue tones with a ribbon-tied bouquet of lotus flowers, buds, leaves and aquatic plants emerging from a rocky outcrop, all enclosed within triple concentric circles. The cavetto is decorated with a continuous floral scroll comprising chrysanthemum, lotus, peony and camellia borne on undulating stems, repeated on the exterior beneath a classic scroll border at the rim. The reverse with floral sprays and a key-fret border above the short tapered foot.
Blue and white chargers of this type rank among the most celebrated porcelains of the Yongle reign. The elegant lotus bouquet motif, combining lotus blossoms, leaves and water weeds tied with a ribbon, evokes the flourishing lotus ponds of summer and reflects the refined naturalism characteristic of early fifteenth-century imperial wares. The lotus (lian) was highly esteemed in Chinese culture as a symbol of purity, harmony and continuous succession, emerging unstained from muddy waters and carrying auspicious rebus meanings associated with abundance and prosperity.
Chargers decorated with this design were widely exported throughout the Islamic world during the early Ming period, as evidenced by the large number preserved in important Middle Eastern collections. Notable examples are recorded in the former Ardabil Shrine collection, including several dishes of closely related design presented to the shrine of Shaykh Safi al-Din in 1614. Comparable examples are preserved in the collections of the National Palace Museum, Taipei, the Topkapi Saray Museum, Istanbul, and the Palace Museum, Beijing.
Lot 129
Yongle
Dia.: 31,2 cm
Estimation
€ 80.000,00 – € 120.000,00
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Provenance
A European private collection.
Marchant, London, with their label to the reverse.
The Mr. and Mrs. Baert-Devos Collection, Belgium. Acquired from the above in 2009 and accompanied by a copy of their original invoice. (see added scan)
Exhibited and illustrated:
Marchant, London, included in their 2009 exhibition of 'Ming Porcelain' and illustrated in the accompanying catalogue, pp. 12-13, no. 4. Also illustrated in their 2025 publication 'One Hundred Years', p. 188, no. 1362.