FOUR BLUE AND WHITE SHIPWRECK SHARDS Yuan Dynasty Comprising one fragment from a large bowl, the rounded body rising from a short straight foot to a flaring rim, the well painted with a large fish leisurely swimming amongst flowing aquatic plants, various patterns in underglaze blue discernible around the rim and the exterior; another fragment from a globular jar including a section of the short neck, a crane with its wings spread dancing amongst blooming flowers adorning the exterior; and two fragments of separate dishes painted with patterns including floral scrolls and stylised lingzhi fungi. The largest 30cm (11 3/4in) diam. (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 and Illustrated: 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) M.White, Beasts at the Whites' House: A selection of ceramics from the Whites' House collection, vol.1, n.p, 2020, p.160 (the bird shard) and p.213 (the fish shard) 來源：獲得于倫敦古董商R & G McPherson Antiques，2010年6月（藏家筆記） 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） M.White，《Beasts at the Whites' House: A selection of ceramics from the Whites' House collection》，第1冊，2020年，第160（鳥紋）和213頁（魚紋） 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, Istanbul, in 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