HONGZHI or ZHENGDE 1488 – 1521 Ming Porcelain

A Ming Blue and White Porcelain Dish, Hongzhi 1488 – 1505 or Zhengde 1506 – 1521 Period, Jingdezhen Kilns. Painted in a Bold Style Using a Wet Brush with a Peacock in a Landscape With Peony, the Border of Flowering Peony.

SOLD

Condition
In very good condition, an area of the foot rim is either unevenly potted or possibly chipped. Very minor wear.
Size
Diameter : 31.7 cm (12 1/2 inches)
Provenance
Robert McPherson A Private English Collection of Chinese Blue and White Porcelain.
Stock number
22342

Photos

Information

I had described this dish as being decorated with a Fenghuang (phoenix), so I am grateful to Mr Stuart Balmer for mentioning that it is a indeed a peacock. He said there is a reference in Jessica Harrison-Halls book (see below). I thanked him and went to check the reference only to find a post-it note for the appropriate page in my own writing saying "peacock dish". I had completely forgotten about it. I am certainly getting older !

Ming Blue and White `Provincial` Porcelain :
Pieces like the present Ming Porcelain example have traditionally been referred to as `Provincial Blue and White Porcelain` because the potting and painted appear as being some what rustic. Sometimes `provincial` pieces have a great strength and freedom that can be lacking in more refined objects. Recent research in China has shown that there was little Blue and White Porcelain produced outside the main kiln complex of Jingdezhen in Jiangxi Province. The exception might be Dehua in Fujian province but the Blue and White Porcelain production from those kilns is distinct from the kilns at Jingdezhen.

For a Ming blue and white dish with a version of this design see : Catalogue of Late Yuan and Ming Ceramics in the British Museum.(Jessica Harrison-Hall, The British Museum Press, 2001. ISBN 0-7141-1488-X) page 184, plate 7:15.