Lot 119. A large blue and white 'Mandarin Duck' fish bowl, Wanli mark and period (1573-1619); 55.7cm., 22in. Estimate 40,000 — 60,000 GBP. Lot sold 106,250 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

sturdily potted, with deep rounded sides painted in soft tones of underglaze blue with a continuous scene of ducks swimming amongst flowering lotus, arrow grass and other aquatic weeds, all below a border of florets reserved against a stylised wave band at the rim, interrupted by a rectangular cartouche enclosing the six-character reign mark, the top of the rim further painted with a detached band of foliate scrolls.

Note: This basin is notable for its impressive size and delicate painting of mandarin ducks swimming in a lotus pond. This motif originated in the Tang dynasty (618-906), and was adopted by the Jingdezhen potters during the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368), when it was found on large blue and white dishes. Its popularity continued into the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) and variations to the original design were developed to include other birds.

Wanli mark and period fishbowls painted with this variation of the lotus pond motif with mandarin ducks, egrets and other birds, are more commonly known decorated in wucai enamels; see one included in the exhibition Chinese Arts of the Ming and Ch’ing Periods, Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo, 1963, cat. no. 365; and two sold in these rooms, the first, 13th June 1989, lot 236, and the second, 12th June 2003, lot 151. See also slightly smaller unmarked blue and white fishbowls painted with a related design, such as one sold in these rooms, 17th December 1980, lot 614; another, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 28thNovember 1979, lot 99; and a third, sold at Christie’s London, 15th December 1980, lot 116.

For an earlier version of this motif, see a blue and white fishbowl with a Jiajing (1521-1567) mark and of the period, in the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, illustrated in Lu Minghua, Mindai guanyao ciqi [Imperial porcelain of the Ming dynasty], Shanghai, 2007, pl. 1-57.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, Londres, 13 mai 2015, 11:00 AM