Lot 524. A Longquan celadon-glazed moulded ‘figural’ bowl, Ming dynasty, 15th century. Estimate £2,000-3,000 ($2,600-3,800). Unsold. Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016. 

The deep bowl is moulded to the centre with a double fsh medallion encircled by panels enclosing various named characters from the Chinese play “The Tale of the Pipa” including the equestrian scholar Cai Bojie and the oficial Niu. 7 in. (17.7 cm.) diam.

Provenance: Property from a Private American Collection, assembled prior to 1960. 

Note: This bowl illustrates characters drawn from the Southern-style Chinese play written by Gao Ming in the early Ming dynasty (1368-1644) including the scholar Cai Bojie and the oficial Niu who are both named on this bowl.

Two related bowls are illustrated in Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, Jessica Harrison-Hall, 2001, pp 482 & 483, nos. 16:52 and 16:53.

Christie's. CHINESE CERAMICS, WORKS OF ART AND TEXTILES PART  II, 13 May 2016, London, South Kensington