FOUR BLUE AND WHITE SHIPWRECK SHARDS Yuan Dynasty Comprising a fragment from a large dish, painted with grapes and a banana plant; another fragment with a phoenix in flight with spreading wings and bifurcated tail against a floral backdrop; another fragment with blooming peonies; and a fragment from a bowl, the deep rounded sides rising from a straight foot to a flaring rim, the well painted with a lotus pond, the rim and exterior with floral scrolls and upward-facing lappets. The largest 39.2cm (15 3/8in) wide. (4). Footnotes: Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價 元 青花瓷殘片 一組四件 Provenance: acquired from R & G McPherson Antiques, London, in June 2010 (collector's notes) Published, Illustrated and Exhibited: The Oriental Ceramic Society, China Without Dragons: Rare Pieces from Oriental Ceramic Society Members, London, 2016, pp.168-171, no.102 (part of a larger group) 來源：獲得于倫敦古董商R & G McPherson Antiques，2010年6月（藏家筆記） 展覽著錄：東方陶瓷學會，《龍隠 : 東方陶瓷學會會員稀珍藏品展》，倫敦，2016年，第168-171頁，編號102（部分） Fired in Jingdezhen for the Islamic market, the present lot illustrates the flourishing maritime trade of Yuan China, which connected the Empire with the Middle East, South-East Asia, and Japan amongst others. In fact, the discovery of these shards, together with a further 54 fragments, along the western coast of Yemen in the late 1990s was particularly significant, as it drew attention to the importance of the previously overlooked role of the Red Sea region within this trading network. The find suggests that the cargo included high-quality porcelain fired in Jingdezhen and Longquan, including large serving dishes typical of Islamic demand from which some of the present fragments derive. For examples of complete wares of similar quality, shapes, and motifs, see pieces from the Topkaki Sary Museum collection, Turkey in Istanbul, illustrated by R.Krahl, Chinese Ceramics in the Topkapi Saray Museum, vol.2, London, 1986, and for an in-depth comparison of a selection of shards from this shipwreck to existing collections in the Middle East, see J.Carswell, Blue & White: Chinese Porcelain Around the World, London, 2000, pp.176-180. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing