Notes

LITERATURE The Oriental Ceramic Society, Catalogue of an Exhibition of Chinese Blue and White Porcelain: 14th to 19th Centuries, London, 1953, cat. no. 60. Sir H. M. Garner, Oriental Blue and White, London, 1954, pl. 28B. S. G. Valenstein, A Handbook of Chinese Ceramics, New York, 1975, p. 135, fig. 43. EXHIBITED London, The Arts Council Gallery, The Oriental Ceramic Society, Chinese Blue and White Porcelain: 14th to 19th Centuries, 16 December 1953-23 January 1954. New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, on loan 1972-2020; exhibited 1977-1982, 1983-1992, 1992-2020, no. L.1972.77.4. Conditions of sale Brought to you by Rufus Chen (陳嘉安) Head of Sale, AVP, Specialist Check the condition report or get in touch for additional information about this ASIANARTNY@CHRISTIES.COM +1 212 636 2180 VIEW CONDITION REPORT LOT ESSAY The porcelains of the Xuande period have long been admired by Chinese connoisseurs, to the extent that three hundred years later, when the Qianlong Emperor wished to compliment contemporary porcelains, he compared them to the porcelains of the Xuande and Chenghua (1465-87) reigns. In particular, Xuande-period blue and white porcelains are considered masterpieces of the potters' art. The underglaze blue designs of the period are admired both for the brilliant color of the cobalt blue and for the vitality of the painting, which exhibits great spontaneity and fluidity, as evidenced by the elegant flower scrolls on the present dish. The present dish is decorated on the interior with a composite floral scroll design, with six flower heads borne on leafy curling stems encircling a central flower, all enclosed within a double-line border. The reverse is painted with a continuous meander comprising lotus, hibiscus, and peony. For a similarly decorated dish in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei, see Catalogue of the Special Exhibition of Selected Hsüan-te Imperial Porcelains of the Ming Dynasty, Taipei, 1998, pp. 426-27, no. 186.