The Zhengde Emperor (26 October 1491 – 20 April 1521) was emperor of China (Ming dynasty) between 1505-1521. Born Zhu Houzhao, he was the Hongzhi Emperor's eldest son. His era name means "Right virtue" or "Rectification of virtue".
The first direct European contacts with China occurred during the reign of Zhengde. In several initial missions commissioned by Afonso de Albuquerque of Portuguese Malacca, the Portuguese explorers Jorge Álvares and Rafael Perestrello landed in southern China and traded with the Chinese merchants of Tuen Mun and Guangzhou. In 1513 their king, Manuel I of Portugal sent Fernão Pires de Andrade and Tomé Pires to formally open relations between the main court at Beijing and Lisbon, capital of Portugal. Although Zhengde gave the Portuguese embassy his blessing while touring Nanjing in May of 1520, he died soon after and the Portuguese (who were rumored to be troublemakers in Canton and even cannibals of kidnapped Chinese children), were ejected by Chinese authorities under the new Grand Secretary Yang Tinghe. Although illegal trade continued thereafter, official relations between the Portuguese and the Ming court would not improve until the 1540s, culminating in the Ming court's consent in 1557 which allowed Portugal to establish Macau as their
trading base in China.
Source: Wikipedia
Object 201046
Dish
Provenance: China
Dating: Zhengde Period (1506-1521), begin 16th century
Dish on a footring with a glazed bade and a flattened rim. Decorated in underglaze blue.
In the centre a decoration of a fish swimming among aquatic plants in a double circle. The cavetto is not decorated, on the interior rim a double circle. The exterior wall and rim are decorated with scrolling lotus sprays. Some sand grit near the footring.
On the base a paper label from a previous owner with the number "11".
Dimensions:
Height: 35 mm (1.38 inch)
Diameter: 175 mm (6.10 inch)
Diameter of footring: 103 mm (3.15 inch)
Condition: A firing flaw to the exterior wall and a chip and fleabite to the rim.
Price: € 249 - $ 343 - £ 217
(the $ and £ prices are approximates and depend on the € price exchange rate)
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