A small wucai dish, Wanli mark and period (1573-1620)
Lot 249. A small wucai dish, Wanli mark and period (1573-1620). 12.5 cm, 4 15/16 in. Estimate 4,000 — 6,000 GBP. Lot sold 10,625 GBP. Courtesy Sotheby's.
the rounded sides rising to a flaring rim, colourfully painted in the central medallion with two lantern bearing figures in a garden, encircled by a band of scrolling chrysanthemum in varying colours, the exterior decorated with a band of the bajixiang emblems above a classic scroll border at the foot, the base with a six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle.
Note: A similar dish is illustrated in Anthony Du Boulay, Chinese Porcelain Pleasures and Treasures, Frankfurt-am-Main, 1970, pl. 50; and another painted with gift baring attendants and a horse, was included in the exhibition Evolution in the Middle Ming Period, Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, London, 1994-5, cat. no. 24.
Sotheby's. St George Street Sale: Chinese Art, London, 10 Nov 2017, 10:00 AM