A very rare large late Ming cloisonne enamel foliaterim charger

明  掐絲琺瑯雙龍大盤

Description

The central medallion finely decorated with yellow and red dragon contesting a ‘flaming pearl’ amid ruyi-clouds and flames. Encircled by a key-fret border and scrolling lotus supporting precious objects on the cavetto. The rim with twenty-five petal shaped brackets framing multi-hued chrysanthemum flowerheads. The exterior sides with further lotus scrolls, the base with the reign mark bordered by ruyi heads. This basin belongs to a small group of cloisonne pieces bearing the prominent Wanli marks within a rectangle and encircled by ruyi heads. An identical dish is in the Qing Court collection, an other in the British Museum. A very similar dish in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, with effaced and replaced by an engraved apocryphal Jingtai mark. An example of a basin in situ in the chu xiu gong (Place of gathering Excellence), supported on a elaborate rosewood stand inlaid with mother-of-pearl, is illustrated in Life of the Emperors and Emperesses in the Forbidden City, p.81 Ming Dynasty, Wanli six-character mark and of the period (1573 – 1619 AD) 49.6cm, 19 ? inch diam.

明朝萬曆時期（１５７３﹣１６１９ＡＤ）

盤以銅為胎，型制正圓，花瓣狀折沿平台共分二十五瓣，盤壁斜立，內底平坦，下承矮立圈足。通盤內外壁面施藍色琺瑯釉，然釉料成份略為不同，使藍色呈色有些許差異。花瓣狀折沿平台色有黑葉轉枝菊花，以黑、黃、紅、白四朵一組共六輪二十四朵，最後一朵則為青綠色。盤內壁飾纏枝蓮紋扥八吉祥，五彩雲紋與紅地回紋圍繞盤底。底部有一對紅黃大龍，麟甲清晰，張牙飛舞，威風凜凜；正中央一顆放電天球，雙龍周圍佈滿如意雲頭紋。

大盤背面外壁飾有纏枝蓮紋，蓮花朵朵盛開，以黑、黃、紅、白四朵一組，共六組二十四朵。壁底接洽處則飾五彩雲紋、紅地回紋、轉枝梅花紋共三圈。圈足內中央有款「大明萬曆年造」方框墨綠底填紅雙行楷書款。方框之外圍繞五色雲紋，並飾六朵盛開的彩蓮。

此盤紋飾極為精采，多樣的紋飾更是它器基以企及。盤中雙龍，象徵富貴顯要，為皇室所御用，也是天子皇權的象徵。纏枝蓮紋扥八吉祥擁有豐富的寓意，八吉祥源出於佛教，是佛教中的八種吉祥寶物，分別為「寶輪、寶螺、勝利鐘、寶傘、蓮花、寶瓶、雙魚、盤長」，依其不同，也隱藏不同的寓意。

直徑：49.6 公分