Lot 309. A rare blue and white ‘dragon and fish’ bowl, Mark and period of Jiajing (1522-1566). Diameter 15.3 cm. Lot Sold 114,300 USD (Estimate 70,000 - 90,000 USD). © Sotheby's 2025

the base with a six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle

Provenance: R.F.A. Riesco Collection, nos 207a and 253.

Sotheby's London, 11th December 1984, lot 328.

Spink & Son, Ltd., London.

Soudavar Collection.

Note: This rare and characterful bowl combines two auspicious motifs popular during the Jiajing reign (1522-1566). To the exterior, the bowl is decorated with four fish frolicking among underwater foliage. This tranquil motif, seemingly a favorite of the Jiajing Emperor, is commonly associated with a sense of Daoist calm and a well-known passage from the Zhuangzi in which the philosopher notes 'Not being fish, how do we know their happiness?' Synonymous with the character for 'excess', fish (yu) have long been considered an emblem of wealth and abundance and this four-fish combination in particular (probably qing carp, bai whitefish, lian carp, and gui perch) has been said to form a more complex rebus: Qingbai liangui, 'Of good descent, modest and honorable' or Qingbai lianjie, 'Of honorable descent and incorruptible'. Similarly regal and auspicious, the interior decoration of five-clawed dragons and a phoenix only further support the piece’s imperial origins, with such motifs strictly restricted by law to use in the Ming imperial court.

Bowls of this broad form, playful decoration and Jiajing mark are very rare. Compare a closely related bowl of this design, now preserved in the Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art, Toronto, illustrated in Patricia F. Ferguson, Cobalt Treasures: The Robert Murray Bell and Ann Walker Bell Collection of Chinese Blue and White Porcelain, Toronto, 2003, pl. 69; another from the Ezekiel Collection, sold in our London rooms, 21st May 1946, lot 84; another from the collection of Henry Adams, sold at Christie’s London 6th October 1975, lot 155, and again in our London rooms, 12th December 1978, lot 389; and another, preserved in the Capital Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Zhongguo taoci quanji / The Complete Works of Chinese Ceramics, vol. 12, Shanghai, 2000, pl. 155.​​​​​​​

Lot 313. A large blue and white ‘geese’ bowl, Ming dynasty, Jiajing-Wanli period (1522-1620). Diameter 22.6 cm. Lot Sold 6,985 USD (Estimate 4,000 - 6,000 USD). © Sotheby's 2025

the base with an apocryphal Chenghua six-character mark in underglaze blue, rim bound in metal

Provenance: American Private Collection, acquired in the late 19th / early 20th century.

Christie's New York, 14th September 2012, lot 1454 (part lot)

Lot 309. A blue and white ‘floral’ box, 16th - 17th century. Diameter 15.9 cm. Lot Sold 31,750 USD (Estimate 10,000 - 15,000 USD). © Sotheby's 2025

the base with a six-character Da Ming renshen nian zhi mark in underglaze blue

Provenance: C.C. Lai, Toronto, 12th September 1998.

Lot 315. A large blue and white ‘Romance of the Western Chamber’ brushpot, Ming dynasty, Chongzhen period (1627-1644). Height 20 cm. Lot Sold 10.60 USD (Estimate 8,000 - ,000 USD). © Sotheby's 2025

Lot 324. A blue and white ‘qilin and phoenix’ jar, Ming dynasty, Chongzhen period (1627-1644). Height 26.5 cm. Lot Sold 10,160 USD (Estimate 8,000 - 12,000 USD). © Sotheby's 2025

Provenance: Christie's London, 24th July 1978, lot 62.

American Private Collection.

Lot 328. A blue and white ‘figural’ bottle vase, Ming dynasty, Chongzhen period (1627-1644). Height 34.6 cm. Lot Sold 12,700 USD (Estimate 6,000 - 8,000 USD). © Sotheby's 2025

Provenance: Christie's Amsterdam, 12th August 1998, lot 17 (part lot)

Lot 329. A blue and white ‘hundred antiques’ jar, Ming dynasty, Chongzhen period (1627-1644). Height 26 cm. Lot Sold 9,525 USD (Estimate 6,000 - 8,000 USD). © Sotheby's 2025

Provenance: American Private Collection, acquired between 1971 and 1981

Sotheby's. Chinese Art | New York, 18 March 2025