Lot 220. A 'Longquan' celadon molded 'Lotus' dish, Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Diameter 7 3/4 in., 19.5 cm. Estimate 25,000 — 30,000 USD. Lot sold 25,000 USD. Photo: Sotheby's.

the rounded sides rising from a short foot, molded to the center of the interior with a single stylized lotus spray, surrounded by a band of lotus blooms on the well beneath a band of classic floral scroll at the rim, repeated on the exterior above a band of key-fret around the foot, covered overall with an olive-green glaze with the exception of an unglazed ring on the base burnt orange in the firing. 

Provenance: Collection of John R. Menke (1919 - 2009), Missouri and New York.

Note: A dish of similar size and design in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, is illustrated in Green - Longquan Celadon of the Ming Dynasty, Taipei, 2009, p. 96, no. 45. Another slightly smaller dish but with almost identical decoration was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 27th November 2013, lot 3294.

Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art. New York | 18 Mar 2014, 10:30 AM