Ming Dynasty Xuande Reign Yellow‑Ground Blue & White Dish With Gardenia

拍品描述

Dimensions：Diam.26cm（Diam.0.853ft） Condition & Provenance：There are no chips, cracks, hairlines or restorations anywhere on this dish. The yellow glaze is thick, smooth and shows subtle natural age‑related surface patina. The underglaze blue is rich and deep, with characteristic iron rust spots visible within some painted motifs, typical of Xuande period cobalt material. Only faint light wear is present along the rim from historical handling. The foot ring is neatly trimmed, exposed body clay is firm and dry, bearing natural light russet discoloration and faint old burial‑type staining. The six‑character “Da Ming Xuan De Nian Zhi” reign mark inside double blue circles features forceful calligraphy, fully legible without fading or abrasion. This piece comes from the private collection of C·H in Los Angeles, California, USA. This collector has specialized in ancient Asian porcelain for over forty years. The dish was acquired from a long‑established Los‑Angeles oriental art dealer in 1994 and has stayed within the family collection ever since. It was kept in climate‑controlled indoor cabinet storage, has never appeared in public auctions and has not been loaned out for museum exhibitions. Description：This is an important imperial yellow‑ground blue‑and‑white porcelain dish produced at Jingdezhen imperial kiln during the Xuande reign of the Ming dynasty. It features flared opening and shallow gentle curved wall with precisely trimmed foot ring. The interior is covered in soft warm yellow glaze. A double‑line blue circle frames the central medallion painted with full‑blossom gardenia sprigs, fully opened main flowers together with unopened buds, twisting branches and finely outlined leaf veins, rendering natural lifelike postures for every leaf and bloom. Four evenly spaced ribbon‑tied auspicious fruit motifs including pomegranate and lychee decorate the inner wall, fruits plump and ribbons flowing freely with well‑balanced composition and thoughtful blank space. Two thin sharp blue lines run along inner rim. The outer surface is also covered by yellow ground, decorated with continuous scrolling floral patterns with layered flower petals and interlocking twisting branches executed in bold, rhythmic brushwork. Clean white glaze covers the base, inscribed with standard imperial six‑character Xuande mark within double blue circles. Warm yellow glaze creates striking visual contrast against saturated deep blue painting. Yellow‑ground blue‑and‑white wares required twice‑firing technique with extremely low production success rate, surviving examples are quite rare. As a representative imperial decorative porcelain of early Ming Xuande era, its excellent state of preservation highlights the extraordinary craftsmanship of early Ming imperial kilns.

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