Lot 2029. A rare white-glazed anhua-decorated 'lotus bouquet' charger, Mark and period of Xuande (1426-1435); 34.7 cm. Lot Sold 2,048,000 HKD (Estimate 600,000 - 1,200,000 HKD) © Sotheby's 2026

Provenance : Kochukyo Co., Ltd, Tokyo.

Exhibited: 5th Anniversary Exhibition. All-Stars of the Okada Collection: Masterworks of Korin, Jakuchu, Hokusai and the Ru Ware Kilns, Okada Museum of Art, Hakone, 2018–19, exh. no. 59 (unillustrated).

Literature: Kobayashi Tadashi, ed., Masterpieces of the Okada Museum of Art, vol. 1, Tokyo, 2013, no. 23.

Note : This exceptionally rare charger represents a continuation of the celebrated white porcelain tradition established in the early Ming dynasty. While large dishes decorated with the classic 'lotus bouquet' motif are well known in underglaze blue from the Yongle and Xuande reigns, examples covered in a monochrome white glaze with anhua decorations are exceedingly rare, and those bearing a Xuande reign mark are virtually unseen.

The appreciation for white-glazed porcelains reached its zenith during the preceding Yongle period, driven by the Emperor's devout adherence to Tibetan Buddhism and his fondness for the lustrous tianbai ('sweet white') glaze, which resembled white jade. The Yongle Emperor frequently commissioned significant quantities of white porcelains for Buddhist ceremonies, particularly those carried out during the visits of high-ranking Tibetan abbots to the Ming capital, and as imperial gifts for important monasteries in Tibet.

The Xuande Emperor inherited this refined aesthetic and continued the production of high-quality monochrome white wares, but introduced the practice of applying reign marks to imperial porcelains. The present charger, with its subtle yet masterfully incised 'lotus bouquet' design beneath a rich, unctuous white glaze, perfectly encapsulates the technical perfection of the Xuande imperial kilns. While early Ming anhua decorated 'lotus bouquet' dishes are occasionally found without a reign mark and attributed to the Yongle period, the present charger bearing a six-character Xuande mark is remarkably rare.

Lot 2033. A fine yellow-glazed dish, Mark and period of Hongzhi (1486–1505); 21.4cm, Japanese wood box. Lot Sold 1,024,000 HKD (Estimate 800,000 - 1,600,000 HKD) © Sotheby's 2026

Provenance: Kochukyo Co., Ltd, Tokyo.

Exhibited: 5th Anniversary Exhibition. All-Stars of the Okada Collection: Masterworks of Korin, Jakuchu, Hokusai and the Ru Ware Kilns, Okada Museum of Art, Hakone, 2018–19, exh. no. 61 (unillustrated).

Note : Deceptively simple in form and colour, the production of monochrome porcelain such as the present imperial yellow dish demands the highest level of skill and utmost precision, from the purity of the clay and the potting to the firing and glazing, which entails the application of a low-fired yellow lead glaze onto high-fired white-glazed porcelain. The slightest imperfection would result in the rejection and destruction of the piece. Aptly termed 'imperial yellow', this glaze had always been reserved for imperial court use since the introduction of yellow monochrome porcelain at the beginning of the Ming dynasty, though on rare occasions, yellow-glazed wares were also presented as diplomatic gifts to political and religious leaders beyond China.

The present dish is notable for its smooth, even, and softly lustrous yellow glaze, characteristic of imperial yellow wares of the Hongzhi reign (r. 1487-1505). This aesthetically pleasing shade was ingeniously achieved by slightly increasing the amount of iron oxide in the glaze solution. So admired was this hue that even the Kangxi Emperor (r. 1662-1722) of the succeeding dynasty attempted to replicate it.

A closely related dish from the Qing Court collection and still in Beijing is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Monochrome Porcelain, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 3; another in the Taipei Palace Museum is published in Minji meihin zuroku [Illustrated catalogue of important Ming porcelains], vol. 2, Tokyo, 1977, pl. 78; and another in the Musée Guimet, Paris, inv. no. MA4910. One of the very rare examples of imperial Chinese dishes of this type to have reached the Near or Middle East is illustrated in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics in the Topkapi Saray Museum, Istanbul, London, 1986, vol. 2, pl. 774, and again in colour, p. 447. Compare also one from the Leshantang Collection, sold in these rooms, 9th April 2024, lot 126; and another, formerly from the Edward T. Hall and Ise Collections, also sold in these rooms, 2nd May 2000, lot 503, and again, 9th September 2025, lot 5048.

Lot 2032. A rare biscuit-decorated 'dragon' bowl, Mark and period of Zhengde (1506–1521); 20.1 cm, Japanese double wood box. Lot Sold 1,536,000 HKD (Estimate 600,000 - 1,200,000 HKD) © Sotheby's 2026

Provenance : Kochukyo Co., Ltd, Tokyo.

Exhibited : 5th Anniversary Exhibition. All-Stars of the Okada Collection: Masterworks of Korin, Jakuchu, Hokusai and the Ru Ware Kilns, Okada Museum of Art, Hakone, 2018–19, exh. no. 62 (unillustrated).

Lot 2038. A pair of wucai 'dragon' jars and covers, Marks and period of Jiajing (1522-1566); each overall h. 20 cm, Japanese wood boxes. Lot Sold 409,600 HKD (Estimate 300,000 - 600,000 HKD) © Sotheby's 2026

Provenance: Kochukyo Co., Ltd, Tokyo.

Exhibited: Chugoku toji Gen Ming meihinten [Masterpieces of Chinese Ceramics from the Yuan and Ming Dynasties], Ceramic Society of Japan, Nihonbashi Takashimaya, Tokyo, 1956, no. 128 (only one jar mentioned and illustrated).

Literature: Tosetsu / A monthly journal published by the Japan Ceramic Society, vol. 37, April 1956, no. 128 (only one jar mentioned and illustrated).

Ryoichi Fujioka, Toki Zenshu [The Complete Works of Ceramics], vol. 27: Min no akae [Polychrome of the Ming dynasty], Tokyo, 1962, pl. 4 (only one jar illustrated).

Lot 2039. A fine and rare wucai ‘dragon’ lobed basin, Mark and period of Wanli (1573-1620); 35.8 cm, Japanese wood box. Lot Sold 1,792,000 HKD (Estimate 1,000,000 - 2,000,000 HKD) © Sotheby's 2026

Exhibited: 5th Anniversary Exhibition. All-Stars of the Okada Collection: Masterworks of Korin, Jakuchu, Hokusai and the Ru Ware Kilns, Okada Museum of Art, Hakone, 2018–19, exh. no. 76 (unillustrated).

Literature: Kobayashi Tadashi, ed., Masterpieces of the Okada Museum of Art, vol. 2, Tokyo, 2018, no. 12.

Note: Superbly potted with a lobed octafoil outline and remarkably well preserved with its original wucai enamels, the present basin is an exceptionally rare example to have appeared on the market, most comparable examples being preserved in museum collections. Compare a similar wucai octafoil basin similarly painted with a single dragon in the centre in the Idemitsu Museum of Arts, Tokyo, published in Chinese Ceramics in the Idemitsu Collection, Tokyo, 1987, no. 204, and another related example but rendered in cobalt blue, also in the Idemitsu Museum of Arts, Tokyo, ibid., no. 724.

Other octafoil basins are also decorated in the wucai palette with dragons and phoenixes, including one from the Chang Foundation, illustrated in Selected Ceramics from Han to Qing Dynasties, Taipei, 1990, pl. 108, and another in the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, accession no. 526-D4, as well as others painted with figures, including one sold in our New York rooms, 23rd September 2020, lot 524.

See another similar wucai example, also painted with a singular dragon on the interior but potted with a pentafoil outline, sold at Christie’s New York, 20th March 1997, lot 89, from the Jingguantang collection.