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

The crane, as a symbol of longevity, was a popular motif on Chinese ceramics. The design on the present jar known as 'hundred cranes', was therefore particularly auspicious. The reverse-decorated design was a popular feature on Yuan to early Ming porcelains, but it fell from popularity during the mid-15th to early 16th century, and was revived again during the Jiajing and Wanli periods, often featuring birds and floral motifs.

A similar jar is in the collection of Shanghai Museum, illustrated by Lu Minghua in Studies of the Shanghai Museum Collections, Ming Dynasty Ceramics, p. 57, fig 1-75. Compare also to two similar jars in private collections, one was included in the Exhibition of Ancient Chinese Ceramics from the Collection of the Kau Chi Society of Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 1981, Catalogue, no. 88, the other was included in Enlightening Elegance: Imperial Porcelain of the Mid to Late Ming, The Huaihaitang Collection, Hong Kong 2012, Catalogue, no. 121. Another example was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 27 November 2013, lot 3212.