Lot 161. A rare and important blue and white 'grapes and banana leaves' lobed charger, Yuan dynasty (1279–1368). Diamètre : 40,1 cm. Price realised EUR 403,200 (Estimate EUR 80,000 – EUR 120,000). © Christie's Image Ltd 2023

De forme polylobée et reposant sur un petit pied circulaire droit, il est décoré au centre d'un bananier et de pampres dans un médaillon cerné par un double-cercle bleu. La courte aile évasée est ornée de motifs de treillage et la chute est soulignée de lotus parmi les rinceaux feuillagés. Le revers est décoré d'une frise de larges pétales de fleur de lotus stylisés.

Property from a European private collection

Provenance: Previously from the collection of the Dukes of Arenderg, presented in their villa in Beaulieu, France, by repute.
Previously from the collection of Mr Sapjo, Monte-Carlo, 1983, by repute.

Note: It is significant that these two fruit – grapes and melons – were selected from amongst the various plants which were included in the nature-based ensembles on Yuan dynasty blue and white vessels to appear on the current dish, for it was these two fruits which also went on to appear individually in the central roundels of fine imperial blue and white dishes in the early 15th century, as the interest in fruit as a subject for decoration increased in the Yongle reign.
Grapes rarely appeared as decoration on Chinese art objects of the early period, with the exception of those depicted in relief on pilgrim flasks of the period Six Dynasties-Sui dynasty (AD 6th-7th century), which were influenced by the arts of Central and Western Asia. Grapes became a more popular motif in the Tang dynasty, when, again under western influences, they regularly appeared, for example, as part of the ‘lion and grape’ motif on bronze mirrors. However, grapes do not seem to appear as decorative motifs on painted ceramics until the Yuan dynasty.
Melons appear as one of the decorative elements on underglaze blue- decorated wares as early as the Yuan dynasty. They are regarded as auspicious symbols of abundant progeny because of their many seeds, and because guadie (literally melon and newly forming melon) is taken to mean 'spreading like melon-vines' and implying many offspring.
In the Yuan period melons began to appear on underglaze-decorated porcelains, usually as part of a more complex design. They may be seen, for instance, in the central panel of several large dishes and on one of the upper facets of the famous hexagonal double-gourd vase in the collection of the Topkapi Saray Museum, Istanbul, see Sekai toji zenshu, vol.13, Tsugio Mikami (ed.), Tokyo, 1981, p. 275, fig. 201. A rare example of melons alone providing the main decorative motif on a Yuan dynasty pear-shaped vase is illustrated in Sekai toji zenshu, vol.13, op. cit., pl. 210.

Christie's. ART D'ASIE, Paris, 14 june 2023