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

The bajixiang, Eight Buddhist Emblems, decorated on the exterior on the bowl suggests that it was made for use in Buddhist rituals in the palace. This design, however, is not so common on Jiajing porcelains as the Emperor was known to be a devout Daoist. Compare to a Xuande-marked blue and white bowl with a similar design in the National Gallery of Art Collection, Washington DC, illustrated in Decorative Arts, Part II: Far Eastern Ceramics and Paintings, Persian and Indian Rugs and Carpets, 1998, New York, pp. 36-37.