A rare blue and white dish for the Portuguese market. Ming dynasty, Wanli period, circa 1590

A rare blue and white dish for the Portuguese market. Ming dynasty, Wanli period, circa 1590

the rounded sides rising from a short tapering foot to a widely flaring rim, painted to the interior with a medallion enclosing a pair of lions beneath large blossoming boughs, encircled in the well by peaches and insects, below the rim with repeated pavilion and monastery design, the exterior with stylized foliage, Japanese wood box. 37.3cm., 14 5/8 in. Est. 6,000—8,000 GBP

NOTE: A very similar dish is illustrated in Du Tage a la Mer de Chine, Une Epopee Portugaise, Paris, 1922, pl. 41; and another two examples were sold in these rooms, 8th November 2006, lot 39, and 7th November 2007, lot 318. A jar decorated with a similar design, which also bears the double-headed eagle arms of the Augustinians, is included in The Porcelain Route, Lisbon, 1988, cat. no. 12, where it is noted that the jar was probably ordered by the Augustinians for their monastery in Macao, which was founded in 1589.

Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art. 13 May 09. London www.sothebys.com photo courtesy Sotheby's.