Olivia Xu
Associate Specialist
Lot 39
A VERY RARE CARVED CINNABAR LACQUER QUATRELOBED DISH Yongle incised six-character mark and of the period
Amended
18 May 2023, 10:00 BST
London, New Bond Street£80,000 - £120,000
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Chen Xie
Specialist
Edward Luper
Specialist, Chinese Works of Art
A VERY RARE CARVED CINNABAR LACQUER QUATRELOBED DISH
Yongle incised six-character mark and of the period
Of square form with indented corners, finely carved in the centre with a scholar standing next to a table laden with vessels within an elegant pavilion, accompanied by an a group of attendants, one carrying a guqin, all within a fenced garden surrounded by a border of leafy flower sprays including peony and gardenias, the rim with a sequence of diaper designs, the base lacquered brown. 17.3cm (6 7/8in) wide.
Of square form with indented corners, finely carved in the centre with a scholar standing next to a table laden with vessels within an elegant pavilion, accompanied by an a group of attendants, one carrying a guqin, all within a fenced garden surrounded by a border of leafy flower sprays including peony and gardenias, the rim with a sequence of diaper designs, the base lacquered brown. 17.3cm (6 7/8in) wide.
Footnotes
明永樂 剔紅攜琴訪友圖倭角方盤
「大明永樂年製」刻款
Finely carved with a contemplative scene depicting elderly gentlemen at leisure, gazing at a picturesque scenery from the idyllic surroundings of a country retreat with pavilion and a waterside terrace, the present dish exemplifies a classic motif of early Ming carved lacquer wares. This design, employed on a large number of dishes, trays as well as covers of boxes, was usually accompanied by a composite floral scrolls.
The scene depicted on the present box is almost identical to the one carved on a a circular lacquer box, Yongle, in the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Lacquer Wares of the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, Hong Kong, 2006, p.65, n.44. See also a similar scene carved on another cinnabar lacquer box, Yongle, Ibid., p.59, no.40. The elaborate diaper designs decorating the rim of the present dish can be compared to a carved cinnabar lobed dish, Yongle mark and period, illustrated in Zhongguo Qiqi quanji, vol.5, pl.19. Compare also with a cinnabar lacquer dish with indented corners, Yongle, featuring a similar scene of sages in a pavilion and floral border, in the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in Ibid., p.58, no.39.
Saleroom notices
Provenance: Christie's Hong Kong, 28 October 2002, lot 587
Additional information
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