Lot 34. An Imperial inscribed silver dish, dated Xuande, seventh year, corresponding to 1432. Length 6 1/4  in., 16 cm; Width 6 1/4  in., 16 cm. Sold 40,000 USD (Estimate 8,000 — 12,000 USD). Photo Sotheby's

of square outline with cusped corners, the gently flared sides rising to a wide flange worked with a band of key fret, the center of the dish inscribed with an Imperial poem, the cue to the line breaks in the poem, the date and a dedication to eunuch Wang Gui, the underside of the flange inscribed with a horizontal mark readingXuande nian Zhai gong yu qian zhuo fang zhi, with a box with inscriptions and seals of past owners (3). 

Provenance: Collection of Xiao Bingyan, circa 1917 - 1940.
Collection of the Master of Xinjing xuan, 1941.
Collection of a German family acquired in China prior to 1949.

Note: The inscription on the dish begins by stating that this is an Imperial poem, followed by three characters, qian qiu sui, which indicates the rhythm and spacing of the poem. This is followed by the poem itself, then the date Xuande seventh year, sixth month, eighth day, and a dedication to eunuch Wang Gui.

The inside cover of the box is inscribed with a description of the dish, stating that the dish was once enameled and that it was found in 1917. Digging was being carried out at an Agriculture and Forestry Research Site of the Xishan Commercial Agriculture Division in Beiping (modern day Beijing), when the tomb of eunuch Wang Gui was discovered.

The dish was found in that tomb. The inscription is dated the first month of 1940, and signed Xiao Bingyan from Luling.

According to Qing dynasty records, a Xiao Bingyan from Luling took part in the Imperial examinations in 1903, obtaining a second class degree and was placed one-hundredth and twenty-sixth.

The underside of the removable cover is inscribed with a poem, followed by a statement signed by Xiang Dicong, saying that his friend, the Master of Xinjing xuan (New Mirror Studio) bought this dish after the recent troubles in a store in Tianjin. Finding this story interesting, Xiang inscribed the box for him. The inscription is dated xinsi year, corresponding to 1941.

From the seals, we know that the Master of Xinjing xuan came from Xunwu county, located in today's Jingxi province, and that his surname was Qiu.

Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art. New York | 17 Sep 2013 - www.sothebys.com