A fine Ming style blue and white large Dish, early 18th century, well painted in strong blue with extensive imitation 'heaping and piling', with a central shou medallion enclosed in a lotus bloom, flanked by a pair of archaistic style 'qi' dragons with bifid tails, all within a triple line border, the well with the bajixiang, the eight Buddhist emblems, each springing from a flowering lotus, and the everted rim with a border of breaking waves; the underside with unglazed base, and the underside of the well with sprays of peach and pomegranate, W: 39.5cmgood condition. Footnote: Purchased from Spink and son in 1974, according to the present vendor, who is now retired but was then an antique dealer based in Manchester. He remarks that he was told by Spink’s that the dish was in the collection of Mrs.Alfred Clark. An almost identical Ming style blue and white dish of this rare type, dated 18th century, was sold at Christie’s New York, lot 368, 30 March 2005.