THE LARRY LUCAS COLLECTION OF ASIAN WORKS OF ARTLARRY LUCAS 亞洲藝術收藏Lots 20 to 76Mr Larry Lucas, a British-born businessman, started collecting Asian Art as a university student in the late 1960s in Cambridge. As the co-founder of the Asian Art Institute of Australia, Larry has organised various exhibitions and lectures since 2008, providing platforms for collectors, artists, researchers and scholars, and promoting knowledge and appreciation of Asian art.Larry Lucas 先生出生於英國，早於上世紀六十年代劍橋求學時，即熱衷收藏，至今近半世紀。2008年在悉尼於三五志趣相投的好友成立澳大利亞亞洲藝術協會，多年來舉辦講座、展覽，為當地乃至世界收藏同好、藝術家及學者提供交流平台。


















A large anhua-decorated tianbai 'scrolling lotus' dish


Yongle period (1403-1425)with rounded sides, the dish covered with an unctuous white glaze which stops at the foot rim, the interior delicately incised with a large barbed medallion of lotus borne on foliate scrolls, surrounded by a floral meander issuing nine blooms, the decoration on the cavetto repeated around the exterior but with ten alternating blooms, both sides with borders of classic scroll or hui-patterns beneath the rim, as well as a scroll band circling the wedge-shaped foot, the base and bevelled footring unglazed, □ 27.4cm diam.
|Provenance:Apsara Asian Art, SydneyKnown as 'sweet white', tianbai, this semi-translucent jade-like glaze is the ultimate achievement of the Jingdezhen potters' experiment during the early 15th century. Consisting almost entirely of glaze stone with little or no glaze ash, the glaze therefore has a reduced content of calcium carbonate which makes it whiter than other wares produced in Jingdezhen. Together with qingbai, blueish white, during the Southern Song dynasty, and luanbai, egg white, during the Yuan dynasty, these three glazes mark the very important development in white glazes in Jingdezhen, which established itself as the official kilns for the imperial wares during the Ming and Qing dynasty.The Yongle Emperor's fondness for the colour white is well recorded. This is probably in part due to the association of white with Buddhism, as the Emperor was a devout Buddhist. Significant quantities of white porcelain were ordered by the Emperor for grand ceremonies. Lotus, as the central symbol for Buddhism, also embodies the Emperor's devotion.A similar dish with anhua decoration from the Yongle period is held in the collection of the British Museum, registration number 1975,1028.14永樂 甜白釉暗花纏枝蓮紋盤傳承：悉尼 Apsara 亞洲藝術永樂朝的甜白釉，純釉石提煉，不含釉灰，白度較以往的白釉高，晶瑩如玉，足見景德鎮工匠十五世紀初的精湛技藝。永樂甜白，與南宋青白、元樞府卵白，劃景德鎮白釉燒製的三個重要時代，奠定景德鎮明清官窯重鎮地位。在景德鎮御窰遺址永樂堆積層所出土瓷器，逾百份之九十為白瓷，大部份更是甜白瓷。永樂眷白，可見一斑。此與白色在佛教中地位不無關係。永樂尚佛，曾為佛事大量定製甜白禮器。此盤紋飾中的蓮花，亦為佛教象徵，更突出永樂虔誠的佛教信仰。大英博物館館藏中有一暗花盤，與此盤紋飾釉色相似，見館藏編號1975,1028.14。