Zhengtong ‘dragon and phoenix’ basin – £78,000.
Duke’s sale had been headlined by items from a local resident and well-known auctioneer, academic and collector, Anthony du Boulay. The 249 lots from early classic wares to Cantonese enamels generated plenty of saleroom energy and a total of around £800,000.
This finely painted 14in (35cm) Ming blue and white ‘dragon and phoenix’ basin c.1440 belongs to a rare group of large and individualistic blue and white vessels produced in the short reign of the Zhengtong emperor (1436-49).