Lot 710

Ming Zhangzhou Blue & White Dish, Phoenix and Peony

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Lot 710
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Ming Zhangzhou Blue & White Dish, Phoenix and Peony
Ming Zhangzhou Blue & White Dish, Phoenix and Peony
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Ming Zhangzhou Blue & White Dish, Phoenix and Peony

Estimate: $500 - $750

Starting Bid: $250

(0 Bids)
by Artemis Fine Arts
July 30, 2026 8:00 AM MDT
Live Auction
686 S. Taylor Avenue
Suite 108
Louisville, CO, US 80027

East Asia, China, Ming Dynasty, ca. 1550–1644 CE. A broad, shallow porcelain dish painted in cobalt beneath a thick, greyish glaze, its interior given over to a spirited bird among flowering peony and slender bamboo. The plumage sweeps into a fanned tail that identifies the creature as a phoenix, or fenghuang, emblem of virtue, renewal, and auspicious fortune. Around the cavetto, radiating panels enclose stylized rosettes and dash motifs, a rhythmic border characteristic of the wares shipped from the kilns of Zhangzhou in southern Fujian. The freely brushed decoration, sandy foot, and gritty glaze pooling are hallmarks of this rapidly potted export ceramic. Made in vast quantities for maritime trade to Southeast Asia and Japan, such dishes carried both the visual language of Chinese blessing and the loose, confident hand prized by their overseas buyers. Size: 9.8" D x 2" H (24.9 cm D x 5.1 cm H).

"Swatow" (Shantou) is a trade-port misnomer: these wares were not made at Swatow but at the folk kilns of Zhangzhou in coastal Fujian, from which they were exported through southern harbors from the mid-16th through the 17th century. Prized in Japan, where they were called gosu or Shonzui-adjacent krak wares, and in the markets of insular Southeast Asia, Swatow porcelain is defined by its bold, unhesitating brushwork, coarse body, and the tell-tale grit of kiln sand adhering to the unglazed foot. The phoenix paired with peony forms a classic rebus of prosperity and feminine grace, a motif repeated across the export repertoire with endless improvisational variation.

Provenance: private Colorado, USA collection, ex Los Angeles, CA collection 2025 acquired from Alexander, Barakat, Los Angeles, CA collection 2023, ex Barakat Gallery, Beverly Hills, CA acquisition dates between 1985 and 2005.

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Item # 202669

  • Condition: Some pitting, nicks, and abrasions as shown, all commensurate with age. Otherwise, intact and very nice with good remains of decoration. Craquelure to glaze.

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $749 $25
$750 $1,499 $50
$1,500 $2,999 $100
$3,000 $7,499 $250
$7,500 $14,999 $500
$15,000 $29,999 $1,000
$30,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 + $10,000