Dia. 32 x H6.5 cm
porcelain
Possibly from the Lena Shoal shipwreck. A refined and particularly graceful blue-and-white plate of the Ming dynasty, Hongzhi period (1488–1505), distinguished by its elegant lotus-pond decoration and the assured fluency of its underglaze-blue painting.
The Hongzhi reign is especially admired for porcelains of delicacy and balance, and this example, with its harmonious composition and richly ornamented reverse, reflects that courtly sensibility to notable effect. Both decorative and historically resonant, it is an appealing work for collectors of early Ming blue-and-white wares.
c.f. a rare blue and white ‘dragon’ dish sold at Christie’s Hong Kong in November 2013. For market context, it may be noted that more exceptional Hongzhi-period dishes have achieved substantially higher prices at major international auction houses. While differing in decoration, palette, and level of rarity, such results underscore the strong collecting interest in fine porcelains of the Hongzhi reign.
