JIAJING SIX-CHARACTER MARK IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE WITHIN A DOUBLE CIRCLE AND OF THE PERIOD (1522-1566)

Yellow-ground blue and white wares first appeared in the early Ming period, and were produced in large quantities during the 15th and 16th centuries. Floral motifs were particularly popular designs for this color combination; see, for example, a dish decorated with a peony spray excavated from the Xuande stratum in Zhushan, illustrated in Xuande Imperial Porcelain excavated at Jingdezhen, Taipei, 1998, no. 85-3, or one example with gardenia, and another with peony, from the Hongzhi and Zhengde periods respectively, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red (II), Hong Kong, 200, nos. 213 and 232. However most examples of this type are larger, circular dishes, or smaller, square dishes: the present small dish appears to be a rare example of its kind.