Ming Blue and White Porcelain Dish, Hongzhi to Zhengde c.1500.

Ming, Hongzhi or Zhengde 1488 - 1521

A Ming Blue and White Porcelain Shallow Dish, Hongzhi (1488-1505) or Zhengde (1506 – 1521), Jingdezhen Kilns, Jiangxi Province. This Ming porcelain dish is decorated with highly stylised flowers within circles, and flower-heads, all set against a diaper background. The back is painted with scrolling peony with six flowers. This Ming dish was made for export, part of the international maritime trade of the period, pieces like this have been found in Indonesia and the Philippines. The form of the dish is based on metal dishes of the near East. Examples of similar Ming blue and white porcelain dishes, from a shipwreck are published in : Lost at Sea, The Strange Route of the Lena Shoal Junk (See References). The discovery of the Lena Shoal wreck, dated to c.1490, northeast of Palawan in the Philippines in February 1997 has shed light on historical trading patterns in south-east Asia. This work is a history and analysis of the late 15th century wreck and its cargo giving the background of Chinese trade at the time.

franckgoddio.org

See Below for More Photographs and Information.
Condition
In good condition, the fritting to the edge probably happened during firing as it is stained iron red. The dish has been used, so it has quite allot of scratches but it does not look dull.
Size
Diameter 31 cm (12.2 inches) Depth 6.2 cm (2.4 inches).
Provenance
N/A
Stock number
27040
References
Examples of similar Ming blue and white dishes are published in : Lost at Sea, The Strange Route of the Lena Shoal Junk (Franck Goddio, Periplus, 2002. ISBN:9781902699356) pages 147 to 156.
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Information

A Ming Blue and White Porcelain dish, Hongzhi 1488 – 1505 or Zhengde 1506 – 1521.

Robert McPherson Antiques - Sold Archive - 24617.

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 large Qilin in a landscape with a border of flowering peony.Condition Poor ; four large rim cracks, the surface is a bit worn through general use. The tone of blue is slightly paler than in the photograph. Size Diameter : 12 inches (31 cm) Provenance Giangarlo Folco Collection (label to the base) Stock number 24617
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 large Qilin in a landscape with a border of flowering peony. Condition Poor ; four large rim cracks, the surface is a bit worn through general use. The tone of blue is slightly paler than in the photograph. Size Diameter : 12 inches (31 cm) Provenance Giangarlo Folco Collection (label to the base) Stock number 24617

 

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.

 

Lena Junk Cargo c.1490 :

"The junk Lena sank around 1490 during the Ming-Dynasty in the reign of the Emperor Hongzhi. The Lena shipwreck was discovered in 1997 at a depth of 48 meters.  She was wrecked on a reef and sank off the island of Busuanga, in the Philippines, one of about 7,000 islands, reefs and sandbanks in the area. It contained more than 5,000 objects, mostly Asian ceramics, but also small bronze guns, lacquer toilets, bronze bracelets, lead and iron ingots, woks, copper containers, spices, glass beads and elephant tusks." UNESCO website.