Ming dynasty. Imperial green-ground saucer dish. Six character mark of Jiajing within a double ring and of the period, 1522-1566.

with gently flaring rim, incised in the centre with a yellow five-clawed dragon in pursuit of a flaming pearl amongst stylised lingzhi clouds and flames within a double ring, the underside with two dragons, each in pursuit of a flaming pearl, the base with collector’s mark. 7 ¾ inches, 19.7cm diameter. Price on request.

Provenance: • Formerly in the collection of Edward Arthur Lane (1909-1963), keeper of the department of ceramics at the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1950-1963, and celebrated author.

• Exhibited by Sassoon, 1933.

• Formerly in the collection of R.H.R. Palmer (1898-1970), collection no.345. The inventory states that the dish was purchased in 1934 for £50. Reginald Howard Reed Palmer MC DL, Deputy Lieutenant of Berkshire 1953, and former chairman of Huntley and Palmers, which started life in 1822 as a small bakery in London Street, Reading. In 1846 they opened a large factory and by 1900 were the largest biscuit manufacturers in the world with over 400 varieties.

• Exhibited by the Oriental Ceramic Society in their exhibition of Polychrome Porcelain of the Ming and Manchu Dynasties, London, 1950, no.112.

Ming dynasty. Imperial yellow-ground bowl. Six character mark of Jiajing and of the period, 1522-1566.

of deep form with gently flaring rim on a tall slightly inverted foot painted in green and incised with four standing figures, one holding a flag over his shoulder, two dancing and one holding a chime and beater in a landscape scene with pine trees, rockwork, stylised clouds and mountains in the distance, the interior incised in the well with five lingzhi on a single branch within a double ring. 6 ½ inches, 16.5cm diameter. Price on request.

Provenance: • Formerly in the collection of Stephen D. Winkworth.

• Sold at Sotheby’s, London, 25th-28th April 1933, lot 380.

• Formerly in the collection of R.H.R. Palmer (1898-1970), collection no.277. The inventory states that the bowl was purchased in April 1933 for £60. Reginald Howard Reed Palmer MC DL, Deputy Lieutenant of Berkshire 1953, and former chairman of Huntley and Palmers, which started life in 1822 as a small bakery in London Street, Reading. In 1846 they opened a large factory and by 1900 were the largest biscuit manufacturers in the world with over 400 varieties.

• Exhibited by the Oriental Ceramic Society in their exhibition of Polychrome Porcelain of the Ming and Manchu Dynasties, London, 1950, no.126.

• A similar bowl, in the Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, is illustrated by Margaret Medley in The World’s Great Collections, Oriental Ceramics, Volume 6, full colour page no.42; another is illustrated by Junkichi Mayuyama in Mayuyama, Seventy Years, Vol.1, no.840, p.280; a further example is illustrated by John Ayers in The Baur Collection, Geneva, Chinese Ceramics, Volume 2, 1969, no.A166, collection no.197.

• Another similar bowl, from the collection of Dr. Carl Kempe, was sold by Sotheby’s Paris in their auction of Chinese Ceramics from Two European Collections, June 12th 2008, lot 4.

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