Lot 5050. A fine yellow-ground and underglaze-blue 'gardenia' dish, Mark and period of Hongzhi (1488-1505); 26.8 cm. Estimate 4,000,000-8,000,000 HKD. Lot sold 7,620,000 HKD. © Sotheby's 2025

with shallow rounded sides rising from a tapered foot to an everted rim, freely painted in shaded tones of cobalt reserved on a rich yellow ground, the interior with a slightly recessed medallion enclosing a leafy branch bearing two five-petalled gardenia blooms and buds, encircled on the cavetto by fruiting branches of pomegranate, crabapple, grape and a beribboned lotus bouquet, all between double-line borders, the exterior with a continuous scroll of seven large blooming roses borne on a foliate stem, between double lines at the rim and foot, the base left white and inscribed in underglaze blue with a six-character reign mark within a double circle, Japanese wood box.

Provenance: A Japanese private collection, prior to 1885.

Mayuyama & Co., Ltd, Tokyo.

Literature: Mindai no Sometsuke to Akae [Porcelains with Blue-and-White and Red-Enamels from the Ming Dynasty], Japan Ceramic Society, Tokyo, 1953, no. 25.

Yasaburo Shimonaka, Sekai Bijutsu Zenshu [Complete Series of World Fine Arts], vol. 20: Min Shin Kindai [Ming, Qing and Modern], Tokyo, 1953, no. 160.

Zauho Kankokai, Sekai Toji Zenshu [Ceramic Art of the World], vol. 11: Gen Min [Yuan and Ming], Tokyo, 1955, pl. 89 (top).

Mayuyama: Seventy Years, vol. 1, Tokyo, 1976, pl. 804.

Gakuji Hasebe ed. Sekai Toji Zenshu [Ceramic Art of the World], vol. 14: Min [Ming], Tokyo, 1976, fig. 47.

Osaka Municipal Art Museum ed., Min Shin no Bijutsu [Art of the Ming and Qing Dynasties], Tokyo, 1982, pl. 88.

Nagomi [A Monthly Magazine by Tankosha], Tankosha, Tokyo, May 2018, p. 17.

Christian Boehm, 'A Tea Master's Vision: Chinese Ceramics from the Ise Collection', Arts of Asia, July-August 2018, fig. 26.

Exhibited: Chugoku Meitou Hyakusen Ten [A Loan Exhibition of One Hundred Selected Masterpieces], Takashimaya (Osaka), Osaka, 1961, cat. no. 77.

Chugoku Meitou Ten [Chinese Ceramics. A Loan Exhibition of Selected Masterpieces], Hiroshima Fukuya, Hiroshima, 1961, cat. no. 66.

Toyo no Toji Aichiken Toji Shiryokan Honkan Kinen Tokubetsu Ten [Exhibition of Oriental Ceramics Special Exhibition to commemorate the opening of main wing of Aichi Prefectural Museum of Ceramics], Aichi, 1979, cat. no. 115.

Min Shin no bijutsu [Art of the Ming and Qing dynasties], vol. 5, Osaka Municipal Art Museum, Osaka, 1980, cat. no. 1-47.

Porcelaine. Chefs-d'œuvre de la Collection Ise, Musée Guimet, Paris, 2017, cat. no. 41.

Ise Korekushon Sekai wo Miryoshita Chugokutoji / The Enchanting Chinese Ceramics from the Ise Collection, Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka, 2017, cat. no. 51.

Note: The present piece is especially fine for its brilliant and striking combination of the blue and yellow colours and for the bold but perfectly arranged design of flowers and fruit. For Xuande and Chenghua prototypes in the British Museum, London, see Jessica Harrison-Hall, Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, London, 2001, nos. 4:43 and 6:16.

Hongzhi dishes of this design can be found in important museum and private collections; for example see two in the Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Minji meihin zuroku [Illustrated catalogue of important Ming porcelains], vol. II, Tokyo, 1977, pls. 72 and 73, together with their blue-and-white counterparts, pls 70 and 71; and one in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red (II), Shanghai, 2000, pl. 231, together with a Chenghua example, pl. 230, and a Zhengde example, pl. 233. Compare also a dish in the Shanghai Museum included in the exhibition Chugoku rekidai toji ten [Chinese ceramics through the ages], Seibu Art Museum, Tokyo, 1984, cat. no. 80.

From Western museum collections, compare a similar dish in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, illustrated in Oriental Ceramics. The World's Great Collections, vol. 2, Tokyo, 1982, col. pl. 16; one in the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Stockholm, op.cit., vol. 8, Tokyo, 1982, pl. 226, from the Kempe Collection; another illustrated in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, London, 1994-2010, vol. 4, no. 1674, and sold in these rooms, 7th April 2011, lot 57; and a fourth example from the Sir Percival David Collection, now in the British Museum, London, included in Margaret Medley, Illustrated Catalogue of Ming Polychrome Wares, London, 1966, cat. no. A740. The companion dish of the Percival David Foundation was sold in our London rooms, 15th October 1968, lot 108, and again in these rooms, 4th April 2017, lot 2, from the collection of Maureen Pilkington.

A similar dish from the T.Y. Chao collection was sold in these rooms, 31st October 1995, lot 387; and another from the Toguri Museum of Art, Tokyo, was sold in our London rooms, 9th June 2004, lot 22.

Lot 5051. A rare yellow-ground green-enamelled 'boys' bowl, Mark and period of Jiajing (1522-1566); 15.2 cm. Estimate 300,000-500,000 HKD. Lot sold 406,400 HKD. © Sotheby's 2025

potted with deep rounded sides rising from a slightly tapered foot to a flared rim, the exterior incised and enamelled in bright green against a rich yellow ground with a continuous scene of eight boys playing in a garden beneath pine trees, all between a border of halved florets and stylised foliate motifs at the rim and lotus lappets at the foot, the base left white and inscribed in underglaze blue with a six-character reign mark, Japanese wood box.

Provenance: Anthony Carter, London.

Mayuyama & Co., Ltd, Tokyo, acquired from the above.

Literature: Chugoku Toji. Ise Korekushon / Chinese Ceramics. The Ise Collection, Tokyo, 2012, p. 88.

Exhibited: Chugoku Toji Meihin Ten Ise Korekushon no Shiho / Masterpieces of Chinese Ceramic Art Exhibition, Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art, Ishikawa, 2012, cat. no. 68.

Shika Meisai: Ise Korekushon no Meito / Imperial Colors: Peerless Chinese Porcelains from the Ise Collection, Gotoh Museum, Tokyo, 2015, cat. no. 23.

Lot 5053. A rare yellow-ground green-enamelled 'phoenix and crane' square bowl, Mark and period of Jiajing (1522-1566); 19.8 cm. Estimate 1,200,000-2,400,000 HKD. Lot sold 889,000 HKD. © Sotheby's 2025

potted with curved sides flaring widely towards the rim and supported on a slightly tapered foot, each side incised and enamelled with either a phoenix or a crane soaring amidst scrolling lotus above a petal band, all against a yellow ground, the inner rim bordered with a continuous lingzhi scroll, the centre painted with both the crane and the phoenix, the base inscribed with a six-character reign mark in underglaze blue, Japanese double wood box, wood stand.

Provenance: Jean-Marc Delvaux, 12th April 2013, lot 16.

Mayuyama & Co., Ltd, Tokyo.

Literature: Nagomi [A Monthly Magazine by Tankosha], Tankosha, Tokyo, May 2018, p. 18.

Exhibited: An Exhibition of Autumn 2013, Mayuyama & Co., Ltd, 2013, cat. no. 20.

Shika Meisai: Ise Korekushon no Meito / Imperial Colors: Peerless Chinese Porcelains from the Ise Collection, Gotoh Museum, Tokyo, 2015, cat. no. 22.

Porcelaine. Chefs-d'œuvre de la Collection Ise, Musée Guimet, Paris, 2017, cat. no. 47.

Ise Korekushon Sekai wo Miryoshita Chugokutoji / The Enchanting Chinese Ceramics from the Ise Collection, Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka, 2017, cat. no. 61.

Lot 5054. A very rare yellow-ground underglaze-blue and iron-red 'peony' double gourd vase, Mark and period of Jiajing (1522-1566); 21 cm. Estimate 1,600,000-3,200,000 HKD. Lot sold 2,540,000 HKD. © Sotheby's 2025

the compressed globular lower body rising through a waisted centre to the pear-shaped tapering upper bulb, painted with bold iron-red peony blossoms borne on underglaze-blue foliate scrolls, interrupted at the waist with florets above a pendent lappet border, all against a bright yellow ground, the base left white and inscribed with a six-character reign mark within a double circle in underglaze blue.

Provenance: Collection of Stephen Junkunc, III (d. 1978).

Eskenazi Ltd, London.

Mayuyama & Co., Ltd, Tokyo, acquired at the Grosvenor House Art & Antiques Fair, London, in 1996-97

Literature: Giuseppe Eskenazi and Hajni Elias, A Dealer's Hand - The Chinese Art World through the Eyes of Giuseppe Eskenazi, London, 2012, pl. 383.

Chugoku Toji. Ise Korekushon / Chinese Ceramics. The Ise Collection, Tokyo, 2012, pp. 84-85.

Geijutsu Shincho [A Monthly Japanese Art Journal], May 2012 (Supplement), figs 7-8.

Tosetsu / A Monthly Journal Published by The Japan Ceramic Society, vol. 803, March 2020, pl. 6

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Exhibited: Chugoku Toji Bi wo Mirukokoro [Chinese Ceramics, Enlightening through Beauty], Sen-oku Hakuko Kan, Tokyo, 2006, cat. no. 57.

Chugoku Toji Meihin Ten Ise Korekushon no Shiho / Masterpieces of Chinese Ceramic Art Exhibition, Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art, Ishikawa, 2012, cat. no. 66.

Shika Meisai: Ise Korekushon no Meito / Imperial Colors: Peerless Chinese Porcelains from the Ise Collection, Gotoh Museum, Tokyo, 2015, cat. no. 20.

Porcelaine. Chefs-d'œuvre de la Collection Ise, Musée Guimet, Paris, 2017, cat. no. 44.

Ise Korekushon Sekai wo Miryoshita Chugokutoji / The Enchanting Chinese Ceramics from the Ise Collection, Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka, 2017, cat. no. 57.

Toujikyokai Kaiin Gentei Dainikai Tokubetsu Kanshokai Ise Collection Chugoku Toji To, Hokuso, Nanso, Gen, Min, Shin [Special exhibition for the members of The Japan Ceramic Society, Part 2, Chinese porcelains from Ise Collection; Tang, Northern Song, Southern Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing], Japan Ceramic Society, Tokyo, 2019, unillustrated.

Note: Carried by Daoist immortals, double-gourds were believed to contain elixirs of immortality. As such, vases in this form are closely associated with Daoism and reflect the Jiajing Emperor's devotion to the religion. See a similar example from the Ataka Collection, now at the Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka, illustrated in The Beauty of Asian Ceramics, Osaka, 2014, pl. 58, and a pair in the British Museum, London, illustrated in Jessica Harrison-Hall, Catalogue of Late Yuan and Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, London, 2001, pls 9:88 and 9:89. For a variation of this vase decorated with lotus blossoms and without the iron-red enamels, see one preserved in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, accession no. 91.1.379, and one sold in our New York rooms, from the collection of Bruce Dayton and Ruth Stricker Dayton, 21st September 2021, lot 83.

Lot 5055. An extremely rare aubergine-ground yellow and cobalt-blue enamelled 'dragon' bowl, Mark and period of Jiajing (1522-1566); 14.1 cm. Estimate 600,000-1,200,000 HKD. Lot sold 1,079,500 HKD. © Sotheby's 2025

with deep rounded sides supported on a tall tapered foot, deftly incised and enamelled on the exterior with two five-clawed yellow dragons pacing amidst ruyi clouds above a lappet band, the interior decorated in cobalt-blue enamel with a central medallion enclosing a lingzhi sprig, encircled by a meandering lingzhi scroll and a chevron band on the cavetto, all against an aubergine ground, the slightly convex base inscribed with a six-character reign mark within a double circle, Japanese wood box.

Provenance: Mayuyama & Co., Ltd, Tokyo.

Collection of Tsuneichi Inoue (1906-1965).

Sotheby's London, 13th May 2015, lot 40.

Mayuyama & Co., Ltd, Tokyo.

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Exhibited: Gen Min Meihin Ten [Exhibition of Yuan and Ming ceramics], Japan Ceramic Society, Tokyo, 1956, cat. no. 149.

Porcelaine. Chefs-d'œuvre de la Collection Ise, Musée Guimet, Paris, 2017, cat. no. 49.

Ise Korekushon Sekai wo Miryoshita Chugokutoji / The Enchanting Chinese Ceramics from the Ise Collection, Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka, 2017, cat. no. 59

Note: This bowl is unusual in its combination of bright overglaze enamels, reflecting the great level of experimentation exercised by the Jingdezhen potters active in the Jiajing reign. Suzanne G. Valenstein in A Handbook of Chinese Ceramics, New York, 1989, p. 191, notes that potters of the mid-16th century ‘were adept and imaginative with their palette of enamels and sought to achieve a maximum number of effects’. The use of low-fired cobalt on the interior of this vessel appears to have been inspired by fahua wares produced in both Northern and Southern China from the 14th century onwards. These glazes are watery when running thin, while deep and opaque when thick, thus allowing the potter to achieve an attractive shading effect.

Bowls of this type are very rare; only one other bowl of this colour combination and design appears to be recorded, from the collection of Su Lin An, subsequently sold in these rooms, 31st October 1995, lot 322, in which the lingzhi scroll on the interior is described as painted in underglaze blue. A bowl base shard of this design, described instead as painted in black enamel, was recovered from the imperial kiln site at Jingdezhen and is illustrated in Imperial Porcelains from the Reign of Jiajing, Longqing and Wanli in the Ming Dynasty: A Comparison of Porcelains from the Imperial Kiln Site at Jingdezhen and the Imperial Collection of the Palace Museum, vol. 1, Beijing, 2018, pl. 201.

Bowls decorated with yellow dragons against an aubergine ground but undecorated on the interior, are more commonly known with Wanli marks and of the period; see one in the British Museum, London, illustrated in Jessica Harrison-Hall, Ming Ceramics, London, 2001, pl. 11:143; and another, from the T.Y. Chao collection, sold twice in these rooms, 16th May 1977, lot 51, and 19th May 1987, lot 258.

Lot 5056. A rare pair of iron-red and green-enamelled 'boys' square bowls, Marks and period of Jiajing (1522-1566); each 7.5 cm. Estimate 1,000,000-2,000,000 HKD. Lot sold 698,500 HKD. © Sotheby's 2025

each of square section with deep curved sides rising from a straight foot to a flared rim, the exterior painted in green enamel and outlined in black with eight boys at play, set in a garden landscape with vegetation and rockwork, between simple line borders at the rim and foot, the interior similarly decorated with a square panel enclosing another boy, the base inscribed with a six-character reign mark in underglaze blue, all reserved against an iron-red ground, Japanese wood boxes.

Provenance: Collection of the Konoike family (Shokintei), Osaka.

Shokintei Zohin Nyusatsu Mokuroku [Auction catalogue of the Shokintei (the Konoike) Collection], Osaka Bijutsu Club, Osaka, 12th June 1940, lot 213.

Mayuyama & Co., Ltd, Tokyo.

Hirano Kotoken.

Literature: Mayuyama: Seventy Years, vol. 1, Tokyo, 1976, pl. 828.

Chugoku Toji. Ise Korekushon / Chinese Ceramics. The Ise Collection, Tokyo, 2012, pp. 90-91.

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Exhibited: Chugokutoji Gen Ming Meihinten [Chinese Ceramics from the Yuan - Ming Dynasties], Japan Ceramic Society, Nihonbashi Takashimaya, Tokyo, 1956, cat. no. 146.

Chugoku Meito Hyaku-sen /A Loan Exhibition of One Hundred Selected Masterpieces, Takashimaya, Osaka, 1961, cat. no. 80.

Chugoku Min Shin Bijutsu Ten Mokuroku / Chinese Arts of the Ming and Ch'ing Periods, Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo, 1963, cat. no. 337 (only one illustrated).

Chugoku Toji Meihin Ten Ise Korekushon no Shiho / Masterpieces of Chinese Ceramic Art Exhibition, Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art, Ishikawa, 2012, cat. no. 69.

Shika Meisai: Ise Korekushon no Meito / Imperial Colors: Peerless Chinese Porcelains from the Ise Collection, Gotoh Museum, Tokyo, 2015, cat. no. 24.

Porcelaine. Chefs-d'œuvre de la Collection Ise, Musée Guimet, Paris, 2017, cat. no. 48.

Ise Korekushon Sekai wo Miryoshita Chugokutoji / The Enchanting Chinese Ceramics from the Ise Collection, Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka, 2017, cat. no. 62.

Note: The playful scene adorning this pair of square bowls illustrate the artistic vitality characteristic of porcelain designs of the Jiajing period (r. 1522-1566). Painted in red and green enamels of children at play, symbolic of the Confucian ideal for the education and advancement of many sons, this decorative theme was especially prolific during this period in response to the emperor’s desire for many sons. Another meaning of this motif is suggested by Rosemary E. Scott in Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, London, 1989, p.80, where the author notes that scenes of boys at play may be linked to the Daoist theme of the old regaining their youth. As the Jiajing emperor was a devout Daoist and sought to find the elixir of immortality throughout his life, decoration influenced by Daoist iconography was prevalent at court.  

Closely related bowls are held in important private and museum collections worldwide; see one in the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, Dresden, included in the Museum’s exhibition, Chinesisches Porzellan der Mingdynastie. 14. bis 17. Jahrhundert, 1987, cat. no. 27; one from the Baur Collection, published in John Ayers, Chinese Ceramics in The Baur Collection, vol. 1, Geneva, 1999, pl. 87; and a third bowl, from the S.C. Ko Tianminlou Collection, included in the exhibition Chinese Porcelain. The S. C. Ko Tianminlou Collection, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1987, pl. 71. See also a bowl of this type illustrated in Sekai toji zenshu/ Ceramic Art of the World, vol. 11, Tokyo, 1955, pl. 107 (bottom); and two further examples sold in our London rooms, one, included in the Exhibition of Ancient Chinese Ceramics from The Collection of The Kau Chi Society of Chinese Art, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1981, cat. no. 102, sold, 9th June 1987, lot 247, and the other, 10th June 1986, lot 253.

Lot 5057. A rare persimmon-ground green-enamelled bowl, Mark and period of Jiajing (1522-1566); 15.2 cm. Estimate 600,000-1,200,000 HKD. Lot sold 533,400 HKD. ​​​​​​​© Sotheby's 2025

potted with rounded sides rising from a tall tapered foot to a flared rim, the exterior decorated with two pairs of dragons and phoenixes between double-line borders, the interior with a medallion depicting two cranes perched on a gnarled pine tree, encircled on the cavetto by an arching pine tree with four further cranes, all rendered in green enamel and accented with pencilled black outlines against a persimmon ground, the base inscribed in green enamel with a six-character reign mark, Japanese wood box.

Provenance: Collection of the Manno Art Museum, Osaka, no. 388.

Christie's Hong Kong, 28th October 2002, lot 542.

Mayuyama & Co., Ltd, Tokyo.

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Literature: Sato Masahiko, ed., Toki Koza [Lecture of Ceramics], vol. 7: Chugoku III Gen Min [China III Yuan Ming], Tokyo, 1971, no. 13.

Ryoichi Fujioka, Min no Akae, Toji Taikei [Ceramic Great Series], vol. 43, Heibonsha, Tokyo, 1972, nos 17-18.

Gakuji Hasebe ed., Sekai Toji Zenshu [Ceramic Art of the World], vol. 14: Min [Ming dynasty], Japan, 1976, pl. 194.

Sato Masahiko, Chugoku Toji Shi [History of Chinese ceramics], Tokyo, 1978, no. 254.

Chugoku Toji Ise Korekushon / Chinese ceramics. The Ise Collection, Tokyo, 2012, p. 89.

Exhibited: Chugoku Toji Meihin Ten Ise Korekushon no Shiho / Masterpieces of Chinese Ceramic Art Exhibition, Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art, Ishikawa, 2012, cat. no. 70.

Shika Meisai: Ise Korekushon no Meito / Imperial Colors: Peerless Chinese Porcelains from the Ise Collection, Gotoh Museum, Tokyo, 2015, cat. no. 25.

Porcelaine. Chefs-d'œuvre de la Collection Ise, Musée Guimet, Paris, 2017, cat. no. 45.

Ise Korekushon Sekai wo Miryoshita Chugokutoji / The Enchanting Chinese Ceramics from the Ise Collection, Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka, 2017, cat. no. 58.

Note: See a similar bowl, from the collection of the estate of Rose D. Seligsberg, sold in our New York Parke Bernet rooms, 12th-13th March 1975, lot 326. A bowl base shard of this design, recovered from the imperial kiln site at Jingdezhen, is illustrated in Imperial Porcelains from the Reign of Jiajing, Longqing and Wanli in the Ming Dynasty: A Comparison of Porcelains from the Imperial Kiln Site at Jingdezhen and Imperial Collection of the Palace Museum, vol. 1, Beijing, 2018, pl. 200.

Lot 5057. A very rare yellow-ground and iron-red decorated square dish, Mark and period of Jiajing (1522-1566); 15.2 cm. Estimate 800,000-1,600,000 HKD. Lot sold 2,794,000 HKD. © Sotheby's 2025

sturdily potted with flaring sides supported on a slightly tapered foot, the interior painted in iron-red enamel with finely pencilled outlines against a yellow ground with sprays of chrysanthemum, peony and lingzhi emerging from jagged rockwork, the exterior similarly decorated, the base inscribed in underglaze blue with a six-character reign mark, Japanese wood box.

Provenance: Collection of the Sekido family, Aichi.

Collection of Sozaemon Nishimura XIII.

Collection of Susumu Watanabe.

A Japanese private collection.

Mayuyama & Co., Ltd, Tokyo.

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Literature: Naohiko Masaki, et al., Genshokuban Toji Taikan [Complete survey of ceramics in color edition], vol. 8: Chinese polychrome, Tokyo, 1938, pl. 38.

Fujio Koyama ed., Chinese Ceramics: One hundred selected masterpieces from Collections in Japan, England, France and America, Tokyo, 1960, p. 99.

Ryoichi Fujioka, Toki Zenshu [The complete works of ceramics], vol. 27: Min no Akae [Polychrome in Ming dynasty], 1962, pl. 28.

Ryoichi Fujioka, Min no Akae, Toji Taikei [Compendium of Ceramics], vol. 43, Heibonsha, Tokyo, 1972, pl. 60.

Chugoku Toji. Ise Korekushon / Chinese Ceramics. The Ise Collection, Tokyo, 2012, pp. 86-87.

Tosetsu / A Monthly Journal Published by the Japan Ceramic Society, vol. 803, March 2020, pl. 7.

Exhibited: Chugoku Meito Hyaku-sen / A Loan Exhibition of One Hundred Selected Masterpieces from Collections in Japan, England, France and America, Takashimaya, Tokyo, 1960, cat. no. 88.

Chugoku Mitou Ten [Chinese Ceramics. A loan exhibition of selected masterpieces], Hiroshima Fukuya, Hiroshima, 1961, cat. no. 7.

Chugoku Meito Hyaku-sen / A Loan Exhibition of One Hundred Selected Masterpieces, Takashimaya, Osaka, 1961, cat. no. 78.

Chugoku Min Shin Bijutsu Ten Mokuroku / Chinese Arts of the Ming and Ch'ing Periods, Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo, 1963, cat. no. 336.

Chugoku Toji Meihin Ten Ise Korekushon no Shiho / Masterpieces of Chinese Ceramic Art Exhibition, Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art, Ishikawa, 2012, cover and cat. no. 67.

Shika Meisai: Ise Korekushon no Meito / Imperial Colors: Peerless Chinese Porcelains from the Ise Collection, Gotoh Museum, Tokyo, 2015, cat. no. 21.

Porcelaine. Chefs-d'œuvre de la Collection Ise, Musée Guimet, Paris, 2017, cat. no. 46.

Ise Korekushon Sekai wo Miryoshita Chugokutoji / The Enchanting Chinese Ceramics from the Ise Collection, Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka, 2017, cat. no. 60.

Toujikyokai Kaiin Gentei Dainikai Tokubetsu Kanshokai Ise Collection Chugoku Toji To, Hokuso, Nanso, Gen, Min, Shin [Special exhibition for the members of The Japan Ceramic Society, Part 2, Chinese porcelains from Ise Collection; Tang, Northern Song, Southern Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing], Japan Ceramic Society, Tokyo, 2019, unillustrated.

Note: The yellow-ground iron red-decorated porcelain of the Jiajing period (1522-1566) in the Ming Dynasty represents the pinnacle of imperial colored ceramics, renowned for its intricate craftsmanship and extreme rarity. These works embody the distinctive aesthetic sensibilities and technological innovations characteristic of the Jiajing era. It was most likely the onerous production method that precluded a more widespread use: three necessary firings – one for the clear-glazed porcelain, one for the yellow overglaze enamel and a third for the design-bearing iron-red enamel – and the fact that the red, which had to be painted around the design to be reserved, proved difficult to apply in an even manner, must have accounted for high failure rates.

The Jiajing Emperor was a devout Daoist, and his commissioned wares frequently featured motifs symbolising longevity. This dish exemplifies this tradition with its yellow-glazed ground reserved to form gnarled tree trunks, from which sprout peonies and chrysanthemums painted in iron-red pigment, flanked by lingzhi. The peony, revered as the "king of flowers," represents both wealth and imperial authority. Chrysanthemums symbolise extended longevity, and the combination with peonies expresses the auspicious wish for "everlasting wealth and springtime" (fugui changchun) – a visual articulation of the Jiajing Emperor's Daoist pursuit of immortality that reflects the Daoist cosmological vision of perpetual regeneration.

The use of yellow glaze was exclusively reserved for the imperial household, as explicitly mandated in the Da Ming Hui Dian (Collected Statutes of the Ming Dynasty), which strictly prohibited its employment by commoners. The striking visual contrast of yellow-ground red-decorated wares served to reinforce imperial authority, with production tightly controlled by the imperial kilns at Jingdezhen. Private kilns (minyao) were incapable of replicating such pieces, making this dish exceptional.

Dishes of this type are extremely rare, with only a handful of known examples preserved in public and private collections. One is preserved in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, bequeathed by Henry Blackwall Harris, accession no. C.110-1929; another resides in the Harvard Art Museums, bequeathed by Samuel C. Davis, accession no. 1940.223; a third is in the collection of Umezawa Hikotaro, illustrated in Mindai no Sometsuke to Akae [Ming dynasty blue and white and red-enamelled porcelain], Tokyo, 1953, pl. 45.