Decorated as a lotus flower, interior decorated in gold with a lotuspond. Diameter bowl 39,5 cm. Diameter dish 45 cm.
Interior with wear.
From the Estate of a Swedish Noble Family.
Compare similar pair sold at Odensviholms Estate Sale, Sweden, in 1974.
Svenska Slott och Herresäten, Småland, Odensviholm, page 351.
Howard and Ayers; China for the West; page 157. Compare tea pot in the shape of a lotus.
The lotus, which is the pure and sacred flower of Buddhism, has played a prominent role in Chinese life and art. Naturalistic forms for drinking vessels became relatively common in Ming times, note for instance drinking vessels in the shape of animals. In the 18th Century we see teapots, tea cups and punch bowls in the shape of lotus flowers.