A large 'anhua'-decorated 'tianbai' 'scrolling lotus' dish,… - Asian Art including a private collection of Chinese paintings - Bonhams

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Description:

A large 'anhua'-decorated 'tianbai' 'scrolling lotus' dish, Yongle period (1403-1425), with rounded sides, the dish covered with an unctuous white glaze which stops at the foot rim, the interior delicately incised with a large barbed medallion of lotus borne on foliate scrolls, surrounded by a floral meander issuing nine blooms, the decoration on the cavetto repeated around the exterior but with ten alternating blooms, both sides with borders of classic scroll or 'hui'-patterns beneath the rim, as well as a scroll band circling the wedge-shaped foot, the base and bevelled footring unglazed, 27.4 cm diam. Provenance: Apsara Asian Art, Sydney. Known as 'sweet white', tianbai, this semi-translucent jade-like glaze is the ultimate achievement of the Jingdezhen potters' experiment during the early 15th century. Consisting almost entirely of glaze stone with little or no glaze ash, the glaze therefore has a reduced content of calcium carbonate which makes it whiter than other wares produced in Jingdezhen. Together with qingbai, blueish white, during the Southern Song dynasty, and luanbai, egg white, during the Yuan dynasty, these three glazes mark the very important development in white glazes in Jingdezhen, which established itself as the official kilns for the imperial wares during the Ming and Qing dynasty. The Yongle Emperor's fondness for the colour white is well recorded. This is probably in part due to the association of white with Buddhism, as the Emperor was a devout Buddhist. Significant quantities of white porcelain were ordered by the Emperor for grand ceremonies. Lotus, as the central symbol for Buddhism, also embodies the Emperor's devotion. A similar dish with anhua decoration from the Yongle period is held in the collection of the British Museum, registration number 1975,1028.14

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Category:

Unclassified