A blue and white 'Lingzhi' dish, Wanli mark and period. Estimation 30,000 — 50,000 USD. Photo: Sotheby's.

with shallow rounded sides rising from a tapered foot to an everted rim, the interior with a medallion enclosing three sprigs of lingzhi well-painted in alternating bands of pale and dark cobalt blue, within concentric lines repeated around the rim, the exterior with two striding dragons in pursuit of a 'flaming pearl' amid cloud scrolls within double-line borders, the base with six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle. Diameter 7 in., 17.8 cm

Note: With lingzhi on one side and dragons on the other, this most auspicious subject matter was commissioned by several emperors throughout the Ming dynasty.  A similar Wanli mark and period dish sold in our London rooms, 11th May 2011, lot 53. A slightly smaller Hongwu period dish of the same design is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red, vol. I, Beijing, 1995, col. pl. 23. A Zhengde mark and period example of this type is illustrated in Great Ceramics Collections, Ming Dynasty Underglaze Blue, vol. 42, Tokyo, 1975, pls. 75,76. For a Jiajing mark and period example see The Fame of Flame, Imperial Wares of the Jiajing and Wanli Periods, University of Hong Kong, 2009, cat. no. 25. 

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, New York, 15 sept. 2015