A MOTHER-OF-PEARL INLAID BLACK LACQUER 'PEONY' TRAY, MING DYNASTY China, 1368-1644. The rounded sides rising from a straight foot to a broad everted rim. The center with a large peony flanked by four smaller leafy floral sprays of different kinds, framed by a thin band also bisecting the corners and terminating in cloud lappets. The rim further inlaid with various single-flowerhead sprays repeated to the exterior, the recessed base lacquered red. Provenance: The Mee-Din and Robert W. Moore Collection of Chinese Lacquer. Robert W. Moore is a famed California collector of Chinese and Korean art, whose passion began in the 1950s when he served in the US Army and was stationed in Korea. After his return to the United States, he began collecting Korean and later also Chinese works of art, particularly lacquer, and over the following decades became a very knowledgeable, discerning, and influential collector. Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age, and absolutely original (inspected under strong blue light). Old wear, expected crackling, small chips to edges, few minor losses. With a fine, naturally grown patina overall. Weight: 712.8 g Dimensions: Size 37.5 x 23.3 x 5.1 cm Literature comparison: For a closely related tray in the Palace Museum, of identical size and with the same cloud lappets at the corners, see Gugong Bowuyuan Cang Wenwu Zhenpin Quanji (Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum), Lacquer Wares of the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, Hong Kong, 2006, p.139, no. 102. Auction result comparison: Compare a related black lacquered rectangular tray, also dated to the Ming dynasty and inlaid with mother-of-pearl, though more sparingly so and depicting a prunus branch, at Sotheby's New York in Important Chinese Art on 13 September 2017, lot 51, sold for USD 10,000. For a smaller tray (17.8 cm square) with more elaborate decoration, dated late Yuan to early Ming, see Christie's New York, Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art, 22 March 2019, lot 1644. 明代髹黑漆嵌螺鈿牡丹紋托盤 中國, 1368-1644年。圓形的側面，托盤敞口，邊緣外翻。盤中央開光是一株大牡丹，兩側是四朵不同種類的小葉花卉卷草紋。四壁開光飾花卉紋。外壁為同樣的花卉紋。凹底内漆成紅色。 來源：Mee-Din 與Robert W. Moore 中國漆器收藏。Robert W. Moore是加州著名的中國和韓國藝術收藏家，他的收藏熱情始於 1950 年代。當時他在美國軍隊服役並駐紮在韓國。回到美國後，他開始收藏韓國和中國的藝術品，尤其是漆器，在之後幾十年裡，他成為了一位知識淵博、眼光敏銳、影響深遠的收藏家。 品相：品相極好, 與年代相稱，絕對原始狀態（在強藍光下檢查）。舊時磨損，預期乾裂，邊緣有小碎屑，有少量輕微的缺損。 整體呈現精美、自然生長的包漿。 重量：712.8 克 尺寸：37.5 x 23.3 x 5.1 厘米 拍賣結果比較：一件相近明代髹黑漆嵌螺鈿桃李枝紋方盤，見紐約蘇富比Important Chinese Art 2017年9月13日 lot 51, 售價USD 10,000。 一件元至明初方盤 (長款17.8 厘米) ，裝飾更加精緻，見紐約佳士得Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art2019年3月22日 lot 1644, 售價USD 35,000。