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

The combination of polychrome enamel decoration on the exterior and underglaze-blue decoration on the interior is rare. A bowl with a phoenix similarly rendered in underglaze blue on the interior, in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in Imperial Porcelains from the Reign of Jiajing, Longqing and Wanli of the Ming Dynasty, vol. II, Beijing, 2018, p. 692, no. 408. However, instead of three front-facing dragons, the exterior of the Beijing Palace bowl is decorated with four striding dragons in pursuit of flaming pearls.