A LARGE ‘BIRDS WORPING THE PHOENIX’ CLOISONNÉ BASIN, MING DYNASTYChina, 16th to early 17th century. The interior exquisitely decorated in bright enamels with a majestic phoenix standing proudly on one leg, surrounded by adoring birds including a crane beside a tree, a peacock in flight amid colorful clouds, mandarin ducks in a pond, and pheasants perched on bamboo stalks, all encircled by red-ground foliate and white-ground lappet bands. The cavetto with a band of alternating lotus blossoms and the Eight Treasures (babao) below a diapered floral band, the everted rim with a band of chrysanthemum flowerheads and scrolling vines above a ruyi-head border, all against a dark blue ground.Provenance: London trade.Condition: Good condition with some old wear and expected manufacturing irregularities, including pitting to the enamel, the cavetto with small losses to enamel and associated old fills, minute dents, light wear to gilt.Weight: 1,960 gDimensions: Diameter 37.5 cmPhoenixes surrounded by various birds, including cranes, mandarin ducks, and pheasants, are amon motif in Chinese culture. Phoenixes are regarded as the king of the birds, as they represent power, virtue, and grace. The present lot is a rare example of such a depiction on a cloisonné basin.Literatureparison:Compare a related cloisonné phoenix basin, dated to the late Ming dynasty, illustrated in thependium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Enamels 1, Beijing, 2011, no. 170. Two Ming dynasty cloisonné enamel basins decorated with phoenixes from the 15th and 16th centuries are illustrated by H. Brinker and A. Lutz in Chinese Cloisonné: The Pierre Uldry Collection, The Asia Society Galleries, USA, 1989, pls. 19 and 63.Auction resultparison:Type: Closely relatedAuction: Christie’s Paris, 9 June 2021, lot 166Price: EUR 17,500 or approx.EUR 19,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A cloisonné enamel ‘phoenix’ basin, China, Ming dynasty, 16th-17th centuryExpert remark:pare the closely related form, enamels, decorative bands, and phoenixes. Note the slightly smaller size (35 cm).Auction resultparison:Type: RelatedAuction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 30 May 2018, lot 653Price: HKD 175,000 or approx.EUR 22,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A cloisonné enamel ‘carp’ basin, Ming dynasty, Wanli periodExpert remark:pare the closely related form, enamels, and decorative bands. Note the slightly smaller size (35.5 cm) and different subject.Auction resultparison:Type: RelatedAuction: Christie’s Paris, 10 December 2020, lot 6Price: EUR 56,250 or approx.EUR 61,500 adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A large cloisonné enamel basin, China, 17th centuryExpert remark:pare the closely related form, enamels, and decorative b