Provenance:From the collection of the late Mr & Mrs Robertson, Edinburgh.Note:With traces of cobalt evident in the Tang dynasty it is not until the Yuan dynasty that the art of blue and white porcelain became the most revolutionary technical and decorative innovation of the Mongol regime in China, if not the whole of Chinese ceramic History (M. Medley 1969: The Chinese Potter). The Yuan dynasty's connections with the Middle East saw the import of cobalt and spurred the creation of these wares to meet the demands of the Middle Eastern merchants and subsequently for export. Whilst these merchants provided the stimuli for these types of wares, they were nevertheless painted with Chinese motifs, such as bands of scrolling lotus flowers symbolic of Buddhism. The imported cobalt which was difficult to grind was boldly applied in what is now regarded as an attractive quality of being 'heaped and piled', with some cobalt particles frequently seen at the end of each brush stroke. The firing of these new wares took great technical skill to achieve the proper shades of blue by controlling the temperature and reducing effect in the kiln. This skill accompanied by the viscosity of the Yuan glaze prevented the cobalt diffusing, allowing clear, intricate decoration of which this period is renowned (S. J. Vainker 1995: Chinese Pottery and Porcelain: From Prehistory to Present).For a comparable blue and white charger, also from the Yuan Dynasty, see Bonhams' sale in their Hong Kong rooms on 4th December 2008, lot 216.For another rare blue and white Yuan charger, but with the 'mandarin ducks' motif, see Christie's sale in their Hong Kong rooms on 30th May 2012, lot 4054.