WANLI SIX-CHARACTER MARK IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE WITHIN A DOUBLE CIRCLE AND OF THE PERIOD (1573-1619)

Details

A RARE AUBERGINE-GROUND AND YELLOW-ENAMELLED ‘DRAGON’ BOWL
WANLI SIX-CHARACTER MARK IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE WITHIN A DOUBLE CIRCLE AND OF THE PERIOD (1573-1619)
The bowl is finely potted with deep rounded sides rising from a tall straight foot to a straight rim. The exterior is incised and enamelled with two scaly five-clawed yellow dragons in pursuit of a flaming pearl on aubergine ground. The interior is simply ornamented with a double ring in the centre. A keyfret band is inscribed on the foot.
6 in. (15.1 cm.) diam., Japanese wood box

Literature

Tokyo National Museum, Chinese Arts of the Ming and Ch’ing Periods, Tokyo, 1963, pl. 367 (fig. 1)

Exhibited

Tokyo National Museum, Chinese Arts of the Ming and Ch’ing Periods, Tokyo, 14 September-13 October 1963

Brought to you by

Priscilla Kong

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Lot Essay

Compare the current bowl to a nearly identical example in the collection of the British Museum, which is illustrated by J. Harrison-Hall, Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, London, 2001, pp. 330-1, pl. 11:143. Another example is held in the C.P. Lin collection, illustrated in Ming and Qing Chinese Arts, Hong Kong, 2014, p. 207, pl. 107.

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