A RARE WUCAI 'ZHANG TIANSHI AND THE FIVE POISONS' DISH, WANLI MARK AND PERIOD 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 Tianminlou Foundation, illustrated by Louise Allison Cort and Jan Stuart, Joined Colors, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, 1993, p. 130, no. 57. The latter two dishes have the theme of the Five Poisonous Creatures on the back and another aspect of the Duanwujie festival - dragon boat races - on the interior.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie's Hong Kong, 30 November 2016, lot 3400
Price: HKD 525,000 or approx. EUR 74,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A fine and very rare wucai 'Zhang Tianshi' dish, Wanli six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle and of the period
Expert remark: Compare the closely related depiction of Zhang Tianshi with raised sword, the exterior also with a lizard, and further decoration of butterflies, pomegranate flowers and lingzhi. Note that there is no tiger and no snake. Also note that the dish is of smaller size (14 cm).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 6 April 2016, lot 47
Price: HKD 1,125,000 or approximately EUR 158,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A small wucai 'shoulao' dish, mark and period of Wanli
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form and wucai decoration, though depicting a different subject. Note the smaller size (12.3 cm).



萬曆款與年代五彩開光《張天師斬五毒圖》盤
中國，1573-1620年。盤沿外撇，弧腹，圈足。內外青花五彩裝飾，盤內開光繪張天師斬五毒圖，頭戴金冠，身穿紅袍的張天師一手持劍，騎著一隻凶猛的老虎，正追逐著一條蛇。内壁裝飾花卉蝴蝶紋。外壁繪相間排列花卉蘭草紋。圈足内有“大明萬曆年製”六字二行青花楷體雙圈款。

來源：紐約古玩交易市場，據説購於一個日本私人舊藏。
品相：品相極佳，有輕微的磨損和明顯的燒製不規則現象。琺琅磨損輕微，局部有輕微的劃痕。

重量：191.5 克
尺寸：直徑16 厘米

日本木製盒子。

端午節，是中華民族的大型傳統節日之一。在這個日子裡，人們並且還要“驅五毒”來祈福。這個盤子上的圖案就反映了端午節驅五毒的傳統。蛇、蠍、蜈蚣、壁虎和蛤蟆構成了中國傳統中的“五毒”。此處描繪的是張天師驅蛇和蜥蜴的場景。端午節時盛開的石榴花與生育有關，寓意“多子多孫”，而且顔色鮮豔，因此也在盤子的紋飾中極爲多見。

194年起義成功後，他們在四川漢中河谷建立了張漢神權國家，完全獨立。張天師，名叫張陵，又名張道陵，是東漢五斗米道的創立者，教人信奉道教，並用“符水咒法”給人治病，後世道徒尊其為天師。傳說張天師神通廣大，有龍虎護法，能除五毒並闢瘟消災，因此人們在家中懸掛張天師畫像，或擺放張天師斬五毒紋瓷器，來祛邪除惡、鎮宅佑安。

專家注釋：康熙年間，有此類紋飾和萬曆款的五彩盤多被仿製。不過，這個拍品無疑是萬曆真品，其白釉、明顯的窯痕、精美的線條和獨特的五彩琺琅都表明了這一點。

文獻比較：
一件較小的萬曆五彩盤，題材相似，但畫法不同，張天師被五毒包圍，收藏於北京故宮博物院，圖見《故宫博物院藏文物珍品全集·珐琅彩·粉彩》，香港，1999年，頁47。本盤也與Percival David基金會收藏的一個較大的萬曆五彩盤有關，該盤現存於維多利亞和亞伯特博物館，藏品編號為C.1037-1917，見Rosemary E. Scott，Rose Kerr，《Ceramic Evolution in the Middle Ming Period》，維多利亞和亞伯特博物館和Percival David基金會，倫敦，1994年，頁22，編號 25。另一件是天民樓基金會的藏品，見Louise Allison Cort，Jan Stuart，《Joined Colors》，史密森尼學會，華盛頓，1993年，頁130，編號57。後面兩件盤的背面是五毒的主題，內部是端午節的另一個活動—龍舟賽。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：非常相近
拍賣：香港佳士得，2016年11月30日， lot 3400
價格：HKD 525,000（相當於今日EUR 74,000）
描述：明萬曆五彩雙圈六字楷書款張天師驅邪圖小盤
專家評論：比較非常相近的畫法，張天師舉著劍驅逐蜥蜴，以及開光外圈裝飾花卉蝴蝶紋。請注意此盤沒有畫老虎和蛇，以及尺寸較小 (14 厘米)。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：相近
拍賣：香港蘇富比，2016年4月6日，lot 47
價格：HKD 1,125,000（相當於今日EUR 158,500）
描述：明萬曆五彩青花松鶴萬壽紋小盤
專家評論：比較非常相近的外型和五彩裝飾，但不同主題。請注意尺寸較小(12.3 厘米)。