Lot 284. A blue and white 'Longevity' bowl, Ming dynasty, Wanli period (1573-1620); 14.2 cm, 5 5/8  in. Estimate £1,500 — 2,000. Courtesy Sotheby's.

 the rounded sides rising from a slightly splayed foot to a flared rim, painted to the exterior with two herds of deer beneath a peach tree and a turtle in a river landscape, the interior with a central medallion enclosing a fruiting peach tree, its trunk twisted and bent to form a shou character,  the base inscribed with the four-character mark fugui jiaqi (beautiful vessel for the rich and honourable).

Provenance: Sotheby's London, 28th November 1978, lot 61.