Late Ming Blue-and-White Dish with Shou Character and Phoenix Design, Early 17th Century, China
Late Ming Blue-and-White Dish with Shou Character and Phoenix Design, Early 17th Century, China
Late Ming Blue-and-White Dish with Shou Character and Phoenix Design, Early 17th Century, China - Image 2
Late Ming Blue-and-White Dish with Shou Character and Phoenix Design, Early 17th Century, China - Image 3
Late Ming Blue-and-White Dish with Shou Character and Phoenix Design, Early 17th Century, China - Image 4
Late Ming Blue-and-White Dish with Shou Character and Phoenix Design, Early 17th Century, China - Image 5

Late Ming Blue-and-White Dish with Shou Character and Phoenix Design, Early 17th Century, China

A late Ming blue-and-white porcelain dish painted in underglaze cobalt with a central shou character surrounded by phoenixes and stylized motifs.

Blue-and-white porcelain of the late Ming period is often characterized by lively, freely painted decoration, with designs that are less formal and more spontaneous than those of earlier courtly wares.

The shou character symbolizes longevity, while the phoenix has long been associated in Chinese visual culture with auspiciousness, virtue, and good fortune. Together, these motifs give the dish a strongly celebratory and auspicious character.

In Japan, related late-Ming blue-and-white wares, particularly those later known as ko-sometsuke, were highly appreciated by tea masters for their lively brushwork, irregular forms, and firing imperfections. These qualities resonated with the wabi aesthetic cultivated in Japanese tea culture, which found value in spontaneity, naturalness, and apparent imperfection.

These characteristics continue to be highly appreciated by some collectors, offering a very different appeal from the technical precision and refinement associated with more formal Chinese porcelain.

Condition & Kintsugi Repair

The dish had been broken into two pieces, with a long crack extending from the break. It was reassembled and stabilized using natural urushi lacquer.

The repaired areas were finished with 24-karat gold, except for the foot ring and the area within it.

By chance, the resulting pattern of the gold repair forms a shape reminiscent of a phoenix in flight.

Otherwise, the dish is in excellent overall condition.

Dimensions
Diameter: 15.8–16.0 cm
Height: 2.5–2.8 cm
Foot diameter: 11.0 cm
Measurements are approximate.

Use & Care

Suitable for display as well as practical use as tableware.

If used, avoid microwave ovens, dishwashers, and prolonged soaking in water. Mild dishwashing detergent may be used. Wash gently by hand and dry thoroughly after use.

Price
2,200 USD

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Works can be viewed in person at the YACCA studio in Fukuoka by appointment.

 

Item No: VS-006