A blue and white moulded dish – Ming Dynasty
This thinly potted dish has shallow rounded sides rising from a short ring foot to a barbed rim. Painted to the well in bright shades of blue with a medallion enclosing a grasshopper among flowers, leaves and rocks. The interior sides are moulded in relief with flowers and ruyi heads.
Blue and white dishes and bowls with moulded decorations of this type have been found in Jingdezhen, confirming production in these kilns. Similar examples were also recovered from the wrecks of the San Diego (1600) and the Witte Leeuw (1613).
Period: Ming dynasty, Wanli reign (late 16th – early 17th century)
Size: Diameter 20 cm
Condition: Excellent condition, light wear and some glazing flaws, no cracks or repairs found under UV-light.
Provenance: From the collection of Johan Lilliehöök (1865-1949). In the early 1900s Johan became CEO of Göteborgs Bank and then continued his career as a diplomat, first as consul general in Helsinki, Finland, in the 1910s, and then later in 1922‑1932 as Swedish consul general in Shanghai. It was during his years in Shanghai that he became a keen collector of Chinese porcelain, bronzes, jades and scrolls.
SKU: 127
References: There are five dishes of this type on the ceiling of the porcelain room in the Santos Palace, Lisbon. They are illustrated in Chinese Porcelains of the Santos Palace, Musée national des arts asiatiques – Guimet, Paris, 2021, Page 354-359.
