Lot 319. A rare yellow-glazed dish, Wanli six-character mark and of the period (1573-1620); 21cm diam. Sold for £6,400. © Bonhams 2023

The shallow rounded sides rising from a short tapering foot to a gently everted rim, overall covered with a warm yellow glaze contrasting with the white base bearing a six-character mark within a double-circle in underglaze blue.

Provenance: a Swiss private collection, and thence by descent.

Note: In the Ming dynasty, yellow glazed wares, such as the present lot, were exclusively used by the Imperial Court for rituals and daily use. Yellow glazed wares of the Wanli period, only produced in small quantities, are particularly valued for their ginger-yellow hue (jiang huang 薑黃) and rarity. See a similar yellow-glazed dish, Wanli mark and of the period, illustrated by J.Ayers, Chinese Ceramics. The Koger Collection, London, 1985, pl.77. See also a related yellow glazed dish, Wanli mark and of the period, illustrated by P.Y.K.Lam, Shimmering Colours, Monochromes of the Yuan to Qing Periods, The Zhu Yue Tang Collection, Art Museum, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2005, pl.122.

Compare also with a similar but smaller yellow-glazed dish, Wanli six-character mark and of the period, which was sold at Bonhams London, 12 May 2016, lot 36.

Bonhams. FINE CHINESE ART, London, 2 November 2023