Lot 934. A rare blue and white circular plaque, 17th century; 8 9/16 in. (21.7 cm.) diam. Estimate USD 15,000 - USD 20,000. Price realised USD 32,500. © Christie's Images Ltd 2014 

The plaque is well painted in deep shades of inky blue with a gathering of eight scholars in a lush terraced landscape beside a pavilion; three are shown approaching on horseback with their attendant on an adjacent bridge, and five are gathered around a marble-inset corner-leg table laden with books, a bronze beaker vase and a censer emitting smoke in which appears a crane in flight. The reverse is unglazed, box.

Note: The fine painting and well-composed scene on this handsome plaque are similar to a circular plaque dated to the mid-to-late 16th century included in the Hong Kong O.C.S. exhibition, Transitional Wares and Their Forerunners, Hong Kong Museum of Art, 29 January - 29 March 1981, no. 6.

Christie's. FINE CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART, 18 – 19 September 2014, New York, Rockefeller Plaza