WANLI SIX-CHARACTER MARK IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE IN A LINE AND OF THE PERIOD (1573-1620)

During the Wanli reign, wucai gu-form vases were considerably popular. The motif of dragons and phoenixes amidst intertwined floral scrolls indicates the wish for prosperity, wealth and honour, further conveying hopes for peace and enduring blessings. The present vase is further distinguished by a band of recessed decoration right above the foot, an exceptionally rare feature on vessels of this type and a testament to its refined craftsmanship.

For comparable examples, see a vase of similar size and decoration in the British Museum collection, illustrated by Jessica Harrison-Hall in Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, London, 2001, p. 340, pl. II:168; another is in the Hakutsuru Museum, Kobe, published in Hakutsuru bijutsukan zohin zuroku (Collection in the Hakutsuru Fine Art Museum), Kyoto, 1988, pl. 129. Compare also to a wucai vase sold at Christie's London, 14 December 1983, lot 479; and a slightly larger example formerly in the Okada Museum of Art collection, Japan, later sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 22 November 2025, lot 1110.