A rare late Ming Dynasty ko-sometsuke deep dish vibrantly painted with a fruiting Peach tree in a Moonlit Garden, inscribed with a famous poem by the Tang philospher Liu Yuxi (AD 772-842)
 
Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, China
Ko-sometsuke (Old Blue-and-White) made for the Japanese market
Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Tianqi period (1621-1627)
 
Measurements 
21.0 cm diameter; 4.0 cm high
 
Description
The heavily potted deep dish boldly painted with branches of fruiting peach, below swirling clouds and and the moon, and inscribed with two lines from the famous Tang Dynasty poem written in 828 by Liu Yuxi at the Xuandu Temple Peach Gardens which painted a thinly veiled picture of his contempt of court politics. Liu Yuxi's last two lines which adorn this late Ming period dish compel the reader to stay true to one's original intentions; to remain unwavering and unyielding in the face of adversity - an ode to tenacity, strong-will and perseverance.
种桃道士归何处
前度刘郎今又来
 
Liu Yuxi wrote two controversial poems about Peach Blossoms in the Xuande Temple - both of these resulting in his banishment. The first written in 815 and titled "The Peach Blossoms of Xuandu Temple" reads:   
"The purple paths and the red dust blow against my face,
and everyone says they are back to see the flowers.
There are thousands of peach trees in Xuandu Temple,
all planted after Liu left."
​
Fourteen years later, upon returning from exile, Liu Yuxi again visited Xuandu Temple to see the Peach Blossoms.
He wrote "Visiting Xuandu Temple Again" (the subject matter of the present poem dish) which can be translated to:
"Half of the hundred-acre garden is covered with moss,
the peach blossoms are gone and the wildflowers are blooming.
Where did the Taoist priests who planted the peach trees go?
Here returns that once departed Liu."
 
With a traditional Japanese storage box, inner cloths and ribbon.
 
Ko-sometsuke, meaning "Old Blue and White" is the term used to describe Chinese blue and white porcelain made for the Japanese market during the late Ming Dynasty. Ko-sometsuke wares were produced from the Wanli period (1573-1620) to the Chongzhen period (1628-1644), with the height of production being within the Tianqi period (1621-27). The objects produced were made specifically for the Japanese market, with the shapes and the designs being tailored to the Japanese taste. The shapes created were often expressly made for the Japanese Kaiseki (Tea Ceremony meal) and included mukozuke (small food dishes), kōro (incense burners), and kōgō (small incense containers).
 
Condition
In excellent original condition with no restoration under UV light.
An original firing split to the centre, expected glaze flakes, mushikui present. Mushikui is translated to 'moth-eaten' and refers to areas on the edges where the glaze has purposely been rubbed away during production to expose raw clay; this techique was highly prized by 17th century Japanese tea masters and scholars as it gave the appearance of both spontinaity in production and antiquity.