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

The impressive jar is painted in rich cobalt blue, to the exterior with four figural scenes, each depicting scholars participating in leisurely pursuits with their servants in attendance.

It is unusual to find a jar of this design bearing a Wanli mark. A similar example in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is recorded in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red (II), Hong Kong, 2000, no.100. Another nearly identical Jiajing example, is illustrated in Chinese Porcelain in the S.C. Ko Tianminlou Collection, Hong Kong, 1987, no.36, later sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 November 2023, lot 2706.