Lot 842. A rare small blue and white jar, Jiajing six-character mark in underglaze blue in a circle and of the period (1522-1566); 4 ¼ in. (10.8 cm.) diam., reticulated silver cover, Japanese wood box. Estimate: USD 30,000 - USD 50,000. Price realised USD 43,750. © Christie's 2021

The jar is decorated with a continuous scene of court ladies at leisurely pursuits, accompanied by female attendants in a garden setting.

Note: A blue and white jar of similar size and shape, also unusually inscribed with the Jiajing six-character mark in a circle on the base, is illustrated in Lu Minghua, Qingdai qinghua ciqi jianshang, Shanghai, 1996, p. 45 no. 1-54. For another example of a Jiajing circular-marked vessel, but decorated with dragons, see Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 5 October 2016, lot 3718.