A blue and white dish for the Portuguese Market. Ming Dynasty, Wanli Period,. Photo Sotheby's

the shallow rounded sides rising from a short tapering foot to a flaring everted rim, the interior painted in underglaze-blue with a butterfly hovering above two qilin amid floral blossom and lingzhi sprays, all encircled by butterflies and pairs of fruiting peach sprays, the rim with pavilion and monastery design divided by floral sprays, Buddhist lions and figures under a canopy, the exterior with pendent stylised foliage, with Japanese wooden box  Quantity: 2 - 36.5cm., 14 3/8 in., diam. Estimate 6,000-8,000 GBP

Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art. London | 09 Nov 2011 www.sothebys.com