Beschreibung:

Lot details China, 1573-1620. Exquisitely potted, the shallow rounded sides supported on a tapered foot and rising to an everted rim. Superbly painted in bright enamels and cobalt-blue to the interior with Zhang Tianshi riding a tiger with flame-like mane and bushy tail, raising his sword as he chases a snake hiding behind a craggy rock, all below a gnarled pine tree and above further rockwork and blossoming flowers, enclosed by a double line border and encircled by butterflies, floral motifs, and lingzhi. The exterior similarly decorated with reeds, floral motifs, and a lizard. The recessed base with an underglaze-blue six-character mark da Ming Wanli nianzhi within a double circle and of the period. Provenance: New York trade, by repute acquired from an old Japanese private collection. Condition: Superb condition with minor old wear and distinct firing irregularities, as expected from authentic Wanli wares, including scattered pits and few dark spots. Only minimal rubbing to enamels, occasional light surface scratches. Weight: 191.5 g Dimensions: Diameter 16 cm With a Japanese wood storage box and protective cloth wrapping. (3) The theme in this dish is associated with the Dragon Boat Festival (duanwujie), which falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. Many of the motifs associated with duanwujie relate to the desire to combat evil forces and poisonous creatures. On this dish, we see the legendary Daoist priest Zhang Tianshi, who cuts through evil with his sword. The snake, lizard, centipede, toad, and scorpion constitute the ‘Five Poisons’ in Chinese traditions. Here, Zhang is depicted chasing two of them, a snake and a lizard, the latter of which is painted to the exterior of this dish. The pomegranate flowers, which are in bloom at the time of the Dragon Boat Festival, are associated with fertility and were worn as amulets by women. Their brilliant red color is also the color of joy. Zhang Tianshi, courtesy name Fuhan, also known as Zhang Daoling and Zhang Ling, among other names, was a Chinese religious leader who lived during the Eastern Han dynasty and founded the Way of the Celestial Masters sect, the first organized form of religious Daoism. In 142 CE, Zhang announced that Laozi had appeared to him, and commanded him to rid the world of decadence and establish a new state consisting only of the ‘chosen people’. Zhang became the first Celestial Master and began to spread his newly founded movement throughout the province of Sichuan. The movement was initially called the Way of the Five Pecks of Rice, because each person wishing to join was required to donate five pecks of rice. The movement spread rapidly, particularly under his son Zhang Heng and grandson Zhang Lu Their rebellion against the Han dynasty is known as the Five Pecks of Rice Rebellion. After the success of the rebellion in 194, they founded the theocratic state of Zhang Han in the Hanzhong Valley of Sichuan, enjoying full independence. Expert’s note: Wucai dishes with related designs and Wanli marks were sometimes copied during the Kangxi period. The present lot, however, is without a doubt a genuine Wanli piece, as indicated by the creamy, pale ivory-colored ware, the distinct kiln marks, the fine warping and the inimitable color palette. Literature comparison: A smaller Wanli wucai dish with similar theme but differently rendered with Zhang Tianshi surrounded by all the ‘Five Poisons’ is in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Porcelains in Polychrome and Contrasting Colors, The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 1999, no. 47. The present dish also relates to a somewhat larger Wanli wucai dish in the collection of the Percival David Foundation and now in the Victoria & Albert Museum, accession number C.1037-1917, illustrated by Rosemary E. Scott and Rose Kerr in Ceramic Evolution in the Middle Ming Period, V&A and Percival David Foundation, London, 1994, p. 22, no. 25, and another in the collection of the T