Lot 151. Property from a Swedish Private Collection, Gothenburg. A fine and rare yellow-ground blue and white 'gardenia' dish, Mark and period of Zhengde (1506-1521). Diameter 27.3 cm. Lot Sold 355,600 EUR (Estimate 150,000 - 250,000 EUR). © Sotheby's

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

Note: Vividly painted in underglaze blue with spays of gardenia against a brilliant yellow ground, the present dish is a fine example of a much-coveted Ming dynasty design. Dishes of this type were produced at the Ming imperial kilns at Jingdezhen from the Xuande (1426-1435) to the Jiajing (1522-1566) reigns and are also attested in other color schemes, including in brown and white and in underglaze blue without the addition of an enameled yellow ground. 

During the Zhengde period (1505-1521), a distinctive stylistic change occurred in the rendering of this motif, exemplified on the present dish. Unlike bolder and more crowded gardenia dishes of the 15th century, Zhengde examples possess a distinct refinement; making more liberal use of negative space, tightening the central design, spreading out and altering the arrangement of the floral and fruit sprays on the well, and occasionally pairing down the reign mark on the reverse from six characters to a four-character version. For Xuande and Chenghua prototypes of this design in the British Museum, London, see Jessica Harrison-Hall, Ming Ceramics. Catalogue of Late Yuan and Ming Ceramics in The British Museum, London, 2001, pls 4:43 and 6:16.

The gardenia flower on dishes of this type, zhizi in Chinese, is not immediately associated with any auspicious meaning, but its distinctive fragrance was popular among ladies who wore branches of gardenia in their hair. It was also used for flavoring tea and for preparing cosmetics, and the small fruits of the plant were coveted for dyeing–producing a fine yellow or orange color–as well as for their medicinal benefits.

Examples of this bold and lively design remain in the world’s most important collections. Compare a closely related dish of this type preserved in the British Museum, London, illustrated in Jessica Harrison-Hall, op. cit., pl. 8:24, together with a slightly larger example, pl. 8:23; another of slightly larger size, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Imperial Porcelains from the Reign of Hongzhi and Zhengde in the Ming Dynasty, Beijing, 2017, pl. 235; a third in the Shanghai Museum, illustrated in Lu Minghua, Studies of the Shanghai Museum Collections: Ming Imperial Porcelain, Shanghai, 2007, pl. 1-41; and a fourth from the collection of Sir Percival David, now also in the British Museum, London, published in Soame Jenyns, Ming Pottery and Porcelain, London, 1988, col. pl. H.

For further examples of this type represented in prominent private collections, compare one from the Meiyintang Collection, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 9th October 2012, lot 43; another formerly in the collections of R.H.R. Palmer, and Roger and Maureen Pilkington, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 5th April 2017, lot 4; another from the collection of the Toguri Museum of Art, sold twice in our London rooms in 1963 and 2004, and again in our Hong Kong rooms, 8th October 2013, lot 213; a further example from the Tianminlou Collection, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 2nd April 2019, lot 12; and a fifth example from the Leshantang Collection of Tsai I-Ming, also sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 8th October 2023, lot 103

Lot 125. Marchant 100 Years, Jiajing to Wanli. A large blue and white 'dragon' bowl, Mark and period of Jiajing (1522-1566). Diameter 31.1 cm. Lot Sold 95,250 EUR (Estimate 60,000 - 90,000 EUR). © Sotheby's

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

Provenance: Collection of Nancy (1915-2005) and Ira M. (1912-2004) Koger.
Ralph M. Chait Galleries, New York.
Sotheby’s New York, 20th March 2019, lot 504.

Literature: John Ayers, Chinese Ceramics. The Koger Collection, London, 1985, pl. 57.

Exhibited: Inaugural Exhibition of the Robert F. Reiff Gallery of Asian Art, Middlebury College Museum of Art, Middlebury, Vermont, September 2005.
Middlebury College Museum of Art, Middlebury, Vermont, February 2008.

Note: Bowls of this size and imperial design are exceedingly rare. Compare a closely related bowl from the collection of Ichiro Hayashibara, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 9th October 2012, lot 3063; another decorated with a similar motif but of smaller proportions and Wanli mark and period, in the Shanghai Museum, included in Mingdai guanyao ciqi, Shanghai, 2007, pl. 1-84; another related Jiajing dragon bowl of comparable size and form, decorated with dragons among lotus scrolls above a ruyi band sold four times at Christie’s, most recently in London, 11th July 2006, lot 117; and another slightly smaller example with dragons and lotuses above a band of formal lappets, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 4th April 2012, lot 3161.

Bowls of this voluptuous form and size are also attested decorated with other auspicious imperial designs. Compare another blue-and-white Jiajing example of this form and size decorated with phoenixes and flower scrolls above a ruyi band, preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red, vol. II, Hong Kong, 2000, pl. 142.

Lot 126. Marchant 100 Years, Jiajing to Wanli. A rare large iron-red 'dragon' bowl, Mark and period of Jiajing (1522-1566). Diameter 31.5 cm. Lot Sold 101,600 EUR (Estimate 60,000 - 90,000 EUR). © Sotheby's

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

Provenance: Collection of Mrs. B. Z. Seligman (1883-1965).
Sotheby's London, 11th May 1954, lot 48.
Collection of R. F. A. Riesco, London.
Sotheby's London, 23rd June 1970, lot 48.
Collection of Nicolas de la Mare Thompson (1928-2010).

Note: Bowls of this size and decoration are exceptionally rare, preserved in some of the world’s most important collections. Compare a closely related but damaged example preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Gugong Bowuyuan cang gu taoci ciliao xuancui / Selection of Ancient Ceramic Material from the Palace Museum, vol. I, Beijing, 2005, pl.156; another with the fifth claw effaced from the collection of Nancy and Ira Koger, illustrated in John Ayers, Chinese Ceramics. The Koger Collection, New York, 1985, pl. 79, later in the Meiyintang Collection, included in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, vol. 4, London, 1994, pl. 1686; a third in the Idemitsu Museum of Arts, Tokyo, in Chinese Ceramics in the Idemitsu Collection, Tokyo, 1987, pl. 195, included in the collection’s exhibition at the Seattle Museum of Art, In Pursuit of the Dragon: Traditions and Transitions in Ming Ceramics, Seattle Museum of Art, Seattle, 1988, cat. no. 46; a fourth example sold at Christie’s London, 16th December 1981, lot 159; and a fifth sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 8th October 2010, lot 2682.

Prototypes of this extraordinary iron-red variety have been attributed to the Chenghua period and excavated from the waste heaps of the Ming imperial kilns at Jingdezhen; see an example included in Yuan’s and Ming’s Imperial Porcelains Unearthed from Jingdezhen, Yan-Huang Art Museum, Beijing, 1999, pl. 317.

Lot 127. Marchant 100 Years, Jiajing to Wanli. A very large blue and white 'boys' fish bowl, Mark and period of Jiajing (1522-1566). Diameter 78 cm. Lot Sold 63,500 EUR (Estimate 50,000 - 70,000 EUR). © Sotheby's

the underside of the rim with a horizontal six-character mark in underglaze blue.

Provenance: Hirano Kotoken, Tokyo, September 1997.
S. Marchant & Son, London.
Collection of Bruce Dayton and Ruth Stricker Dayton.
Sotheby’s New York, 21st September 2021, lot 87.

Exhibited: Two Hundred Years of Chinese Porcelain 1522-1722, Marchant, London, 1998, cat. no.6, pp.16-17.

Note: The present fishbowl is impressive for its large size and animated design of playful boys painted in striking underglaze blue. Vessels of these dimensions were especially difficult to produce, as explained by R.L. Hobson in The Wares of the Ming Dynasty, London, 1923, pp 19 and 110, where he notes that such vessels needed up to nine days of firing and that Imperial potters were driven to despair, since many pieces consistently failed to come out perfectly year after year.

A similar vessel is illustrated in Enlightening Elegance: Imperial Porcelain of the mid to late Ming, the Huaihaitang Collection, Hong Kong, 2013, pl. 57, with the boys in a more lush setting. Two examples in the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, one painted with dragons and the other with Buddhist lions, are published in Lu Minghua, Shanghai bowuguan cangpin yanjiu daxi: Mingdai guanyao ciqi [Ming imperial porcelain], Shanghai, 2007, pls 3-84 and 3-85. A Jiajing mark and period fishbowl with a continuous scene of a lotus pond was sold at Christie's London, 10th July 2006, lot 118.

Lot 128. Marchant 100 Years, Jiajing to Wanli. A blue and white 'bird and flower' bowl, Mark and period of Jiajing (1522-1566). Diameter 13,4 cm. Lot Sold 38,100 EUR (Estimate 30,000 - 50,000 EUR). © Sotheby's

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

Provenance: Collection of R. F. A. Riesco, London.
Sotheby's London, 11th December 1984, lot 329.
Spink & Son Ltd., London.
Collection of Mr. Soudavar.

Note: Similar extant examples of this playful design reliably date the present bowl to the very end of the Jiajing reign, ca. 1560s. Compare a closely related bowl featuring a very similar design of birds and flowering branches, dated by cyclical mark in accordance with 1566, sold twice in our New York rooms, most recently 23rd September 2020, lot 515; and a Jiajing dish of similar design, dated in accordance with 1561, now preserved in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (accession no. 1991.253.48).

Lot 131. Marchant 100 Years, Jiajing to Wanli. A fine yellow-glazed dish, Mark and period of Jiajing (1522-1566). Diameter 14.7 cm. Lot Sold 17,780 EUR (Estimate 12,000 - 20,000 EUR). © Sotheby's

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

Provenance: T. Edo Inouye and Son, Tokyo, circa 1995.

Note: Compare a similar dish, from the collection of Mr Lawrence W. T. Chan, illustrated in The Radiant Ming 1368-1644 through the Min Chiu Society Collection, Hong Kong Museum of History, Hong Kong, 2015, p. 161, cat. no. 112.

Lot 132 Marchant 100 Years, Jiajing to Wanli. A yellow-ground underglaze-blue 'crane' dish, Mark and period of Jiajing (1522-1566). Diameter 13.8 cm. Lot Sold 27,940 EUR (Estimate 12,000 - 15,000 EUR). © Sotheby's

the base with a six-character mark in underglaze blue

Provenance: Collection of Stephen Junkunc III (1905-1978).
Christie's New York, 21st September 1995, lot 185 (one of a pair).
Sotheby's New York, 20th March 2019, lot 501 (one of a pair).

Note: Compare an identical dish, given by S. M. Franck & Co. in 1910, is in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum (accession no. C.92-1910), illustrated on the Museum's website.

Lot 133. Marchant 100 Years, Jiajing to Wanli. A yellow-ground underglaze-blue 'lotus' double gourd vase, Mark and period of Jiajing (1522-1566). Diameter 13.8 cm. Lot Sold 63,500 EUR (Estimate 50,000 - 80,000 EUR). © Sotheby's

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

Provenance: Collection of W. A. Evill (1890-1963)
Sotheby's London, 16th-17th December 1980, lot 634.
Hong Rui Tang Collection.
Sotheby's London, 5th December 1995, lot 406 (cover lot).
Eskenazi Ltd, London.
Marchant, London, 31st March 1999.
Collection of Bruce (1918-2015) and Ruth Stricker (1935-2020) Dayton.
Sotheby’s New York, 21st September 2021, lot 83.

Exhibited: Two Hundred Years of Chinese Porcelain 1522-1722, S. Marchant & Son, London, 1998, cat. no. 1.

Note: Carried by Daoist immortals, double-gourds were believed to contain elixirs of immortality. As such, vases in this form are closely associated with Daoism and reflect the Jiajing Emperor's devotion to the religion. Compare a closely related vase of this type preserved in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (accession no. 91.1.379), illustrated by Suzanne G. Valenstein in Oriental Ceramics. The World's Greatest Collections, vol. 11: Metropolitan Museum of Art, Tokyo, 1981, col. pl. 21; and another sold twice in our London rooms, on 17th December 1980, lot 634, and again on 5th December 1995, lot 406.

For a variation of this vase with iron-red blossoms, compare a pair in the British Museum, London, illustrated in Jessica Harrison-Hall, Catalogue of Late Yuan and Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, London, 2001, pls 9:88 and 9:89; and another, with analogous decoration and additional iron-red, is illustrated in Oriental Ceramics. The World's Greatest Collections, vol. 6: Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, Tokyo, 1982, col. pl. 41.

Lot 128. Marchant 100 Years, Jiajing to Wanli. A large blue and white 'four seasons' bowl, Mark and period of Jiajing (1522-1566). Diameter 34.5 cm. Lot Sold 76,200 EUR (Estimate 60,000 - 90,000 EUR). © Sotheby's

Provenance: Collection of Sir Quo-Wei Lee (1918-2013)

Sotheby's Hong Kong, 27 November 2019, lot 64.

Note: With straight rounded sides rising from a gently tapered foot, this large blue and white bowl is masterfully painted with four twisted and ancient trees—bamboo, prunus, pine, and chrysanthemum—each with a gnarled trunk contorted to form one of the characters fu (福), shou (壽), an (安), and kang (康), conveying the auspicious message of happiness, longevity, peace, and health. The intelligent integration of calligraphic and pictorial elements reflects the Jiajing court’s fondness for Daoist-infused symbolism, rebus imagery, and visual wit.

Compare a similar Jiajing-marked bowl of this rare design illustrated in John Alexander Pope, Chinese Porcelains from the Ardebil Shrine, Washington D.C., 1981, pl. 80, cat. no. 29.364; and a related interpretation of the motif—though bearing a Xuande mark— published in Regina Krahl and John Ayers, Chinese Ceramics in the Topkapi Saray Museum, Istanbul, vol. II, London, 1986, p. 634, no. 937.

Lot 152. A blue and white 'floral' Yuhuchunping, Mark and period of Jiajing (1522-1566). Height 63 cm. Lot Sold 40,640 EUR (Estimate 30,000 - 50,000 EUR). © Sotheby's

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

Note: Marked by economic prosperity and luxury at court, Ming porcelain production reached its zenith under the reign of the Jiajing Emperor. Following successive threats on his life, political turmoil and an embrace of Daoist beliefs, the Emperor spent much of his reign retired in the secluded palaces of the West Park (Xiyuan) which he had lavishly decorated with porcelain. In order to fulfill this significantly increased demand for imperial wares, private kilns at Jingdzhen were employed alongside the imperial kilns, which in turn, forced the Imperial Household Department (Neiwufu) to embrace a broader spectrum of techniques and styles. This outsourcing and creative freedom ushered in an unprecedented new wave of imperial wares, produced in conversation with – but not limited to – the prescribed designs of the court. 

This new-found creative freedom is epitomized by the present vase. While the yuhuchun form and peony design of the present vase find their origins in the early fifteenth century, the piece glows with a sense of Jiajing innovation. From its unorthodox rendering of the floral band that frames the peony scroll, to the pointed lappet band at its neck and bright painterly blue tone, the present vase makes a firm departure from the designs of the early Ming and represents a turning point in the history of Chinese porcelain, with artistry and creativity at its centre. For the early Ming prototype of this form and design, see a vase attributed to the Yongle reign, in the British Museum, London, illustrated in Jessica Harrison-Hall, Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, London, 2001, pl. 3:17.

Similar Jiajing vases of this design are held in important museums and private collections across the world. Compare a closely related example preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures in the Palace Museum. Blue and White Porcelain with Underglaze Red (II), Hong Kong, 2000, pl. 83; another in the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, published in Lu Minghua, Mingdai guanyao ciqi [Imperial porcelain of the Ming dynasty], Shanghai, 2007, pl. 1-51; and a third in the Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka, included in the museum’s exhibition Blue and White in the East Asia, Osaka, 1997, cat. no. 15. See also an example in the Huaihaitang Collection, exhibited in Imperial Porcelain of the Mid to Late Ming, Art Museum, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2012, cat. no. 35; another in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, London, 2010, vol. 4, pt. 1, pl. 1693; and another from the collection of Dr. Emil Hultmark (1872-1943), illustrated in Leopold Reidemeister, Ming-Porzellane in Schwedischen Sammlungen, Berlin, 1935, pl. 19a.

Lot 137. Marchant 100 Years, Jiajing to Wanli. A rare pair of blue and white 'phoenix' dishes, Mark and period of Longqing (1567-1572). Diameter 6.2 cm. Lot Sold 8,255 EUR (Estimate 6,000 - 8,000 EUR). © Sotheby's

the base of each with a six-character mark in underglaze blue (2)

Note: Compare an identical dish sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 26th November 1980, lot 236; another with a fu gui jia qi (fine vessel for wealth and honour) mark illustrated in Regina Krahl & John Ayers, Chinese Ceramics in the Topkapi Saray Museum, vol. II, London, 1986, cat. no. 1212; and another in S. T. Yeo and Jean Martin, Chinese Blue and White Ceramics, Singapore, 1978, cat. no. 120, pl. 65.

Lot 137. Marchant 100 Years, Jiajing to Wanli. An extremely fine and rare wucai ‘dragon and phoenix’ winecup, Mark and period of Longqing (1567-1572). Diameter 6.2 cm. Lot Sold 330,4200 EUR (Estimate 150,000 - 250,000 EUR). © Sotheby's

Li-terature: Lyan Collection 2023, Tokyo, 2023, cat. no. 10.

3-

The Emperor's Winecup

Porcelain wares from the fleeting six-year reign of Emperor Muzong of Ming – the Longqing Emperor – are among the most elusive and sought-after pieces ever produced at the imperial kilns of Jingdezhen. 

Although the brevity of the Longqing reign begins to explain the rarity of these treasures, other historical factors also severely limited the scale of porcelain production and contributed to the extraordinary importance and legacy of Longqing wares. Although the Longqing reign was short, it was far from uneventful. Plagued by severe floods and earthquakes throughout the 1560s and 1570s, and a particularly devastating fire in 1571, the imperial kilns of Jingdezhen were forced to severely limit production throughout much of the early 1570s, rolling back on the enormous levels of production required in the preceding decades. As such, pieces successfully fired bearing the coveted reign mark of the period – Da Ming Longqing nian zao (Made in the Longqing reign of the Great Ming Dynasty) – are exceedingly rare. 

While the Longqing Emperor would also eventually succumb to the excesses of imperial life, his reign was generally typified by a fresh sense of order, progress and stability in contrast to the erratic and corrupt decline of the late Jiajing (1522-1566). Restoring the administrative state after his father’s reclusion, expelling corrupt officials from the court, reopening foreign trade and negotiating peace with Mongols to the north, the Longqing Emperor and his court established a harmony and peace in the capital that would endure long after his untimely death.

This harmony is perhaps no better represented than by the present cup. Featuring a phoenix and dragon swirling playfully among lush foliage, the cup’s design represents the pinnacle of elegance and balance. While dragons typically represent masculine yang energy and power, the phoenix – their foil – embodies the female yin force of grace and calm and lend the cup an ineffable sense of balance. This iconographic combination of the five-clawed dragon and phoenix has also long been inextricably linked with the Emperor and his empresses. Representing a prosperous and auspicious reign, sanctioned by heaven, the use of these images by commoners was strictly proscribed by the Ming legal codes, and further confirms the piece’s imperial origins.

To date, no other cups of this extraordinary design appear to survive and only five others are comparable. Indeed, among surviving Longqing cups, no more than three examples of any individual design appear to have been identified, implying that each may have been commissioned as an individual set for the Emperor’s personal use. Compare three Longqing cups featuring iron red dragons between two bands of underglaze blue: a pair, still preserved in the National Palace Museum, Taipei (accession nos Gu ci 002435 and 002436), one of which is illustrated in Minji Meihin Zuroku [Illustrated catalogue of important Ming porcelains. Jiajing, Longqing and Wanli], vol. III, Tokyo, 1978, pl. 54; and a single cup from the collection of Sir Percival David, now preserved in the British Museum, London (accession no. PDF.765), included in the Illustrated Catalogue of Ming and Ming Style Polychrome Wares in the Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, London, 2006, p. 37, cat. no. 765. Compare two further examples – presumably also once a pair – decorated in a polychrome palette of red, turquoise and underglaze blue, with the fifth claw of each dragon intentionally effaced: the first, preserved in the Umezawa Kinenkan, Tokyo, illustrated in Yuan and Ming Porcelain from the Collection of the Umezawa Memorial Museum, MOA Art Museum, Atami, 1992, cat. no. 42; and the second sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 7th May 2025, lot 3659. 

While these surviving cups each feature similar dragon designs and share the nianzao mark of the present, no known examples begin to compare in terms of the fineness of its form and excellence of its enameling. Revived by his father after a century of neglect, wucai (lit. ‘five colour’) enameling appears to have been a favourite of the Longqing Emperor and is expertly applied here to highlight the vivacity and serenity of the imperial design. Thoughtfully painted in an austere yet playful manner, the wucai enamels have been fired with exceptional temperature control to produce a vibrant polychrome scene that still glows after centuries of treasured ownership. While wucai dragon-and-phoenix designs would become a mainstay of Wanli period (1573-1620) production, comparable examples from the Jiajing reign are rare and almost unheard of in the Longqing. Compare a possible prototype of this wucai cup design of Jiajing mark and period – also seemingly unique – from the collections of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Clark, R.H.R Palmer and Meiyintang, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 3rd April 2012, lot 30; and a rare set of wucai dishes of Longqing mark and period featuring two confronting dragons, including one from the Paget Collection in the British Museum, London, illustrated in Jessica Harrison-Hall, Catalogue of Late Yuan and Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, London, 2001, cat. no. 10:8, in which the author attributes all known examples to a single “series commissioned by the Longqing emperor, probably for serving food.”

Lot 182. Property from an Asian Family Collection. A rare yellow-ground green-enamelled 'dragon' dish, Ming dynasty, 16th century. Diameter 31.5 cm. Lot Sold 330,4200 EUR (Estimate 150,000 - 250,000 EUR). © Sotheby's

the base with a four-character yu tang jia qi (beautiful vessel from the jade hall) hall mark in underglaze blue within a double circle, fitted box (2)

Provenance: Collection of Edward T. Chow (1910-1980), gifted to the family of the previous owner in the early 1970s.

Bonhams London, 13 May 2013, lot 63.

Lot 135. Marchant 100 Years, Jiajing to Wanli. A rare wucai 'antiques' bowl, Mark and period of Wanli (1573-1620). Diameter 19.5 cm. Lot Sold 25,400 EUR (Estimate 20,000 - 30,000 EUR). © Sotheby's

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

Provenance: Collection of Ninomiya Kaneichi (1898–1996).
Ehime Bunkakan, Imabari, prior to 1955.
Christie’s New York, 22nd – 23rd September 2022, lot 906.

Note: This rare wucai deep bowl, with its gently flared rim, reflects the Wanli period’s interest in vibrant polychrome decoration, auspicious symbolism, and antiquarian themes. The exterior is painted with three iron-red stands, each bearing a selection of antique objects—including vases, ewers, and jardinières—enamelled in aubergine, yellow, and green. These are interspersed with jardinières painted in underglaze blue and filled with ornamental rocks and foliage. The composition is framed at the top by a wide border of ruyi-heads, clouds, and beribboned jewels—motifs often associated with Daoist iconography and auspicious meaning.

The interior is centred with a medallion depicting a five-clawed dragon in underglaze blue and iron red, encircling a flaming pearl. This classic imperial motif is closely associated with authority, protection, and cosmic order.

Compare a closely related example preserved in the National Palace Museum, Taipei (accession no. gu ci 003946), illustrated on the Museum's website; and another from the collection of R.F.A Riesco (1877-1964), sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 27th November 2013, lot 3121.

Lot 136. Marchant 100 Years, Jiajing to Wanli. A wucai ‘dragon’ square zun-form vase, Mark and period of Wanli (1573-1620). Diameter 19.5 cm. Lot Sold 44,450 EUR (Estimate 35,000 - 50,000 EUR). © Sotheby's

the underside of the rim with a six-character mark in underglaze blue within a rectangular cartouche.

Provenance: Collection of Michel Duchange, Paris.

Note: This rare imperial vase is of archaic square zun form, with upright galleried rim, recessed moulded foot, and four animal-mask handles applied at each corner in high relief, recalling ancient bronze ritual vessels. Each of the four facets is decorated in a vibrant wucai palette, combining underglaze blue with iron-red, green, and yellow enamels. The panels are each centred with a five-clawed dragon shown in flight amidst flowering branches—morning glory, prunus, aster, and peony—emerging above cresting waves. A keyfret band encircles the shoulder, and the rim bears a six-character Wanli reign mark written in a single horizontal line.

The vase reflects the Wanli court’s interest in archaism through form, while also embracing polychrome surface decoration with auspicious motifs. The successful execution of the square shape, integrated with relief modelling and enamel painting, highlights the technical complexity of late Ming imperial porcelain. Examples of this form and decoration are extremely rare.

A closely related vase from the Ise Foundation was exhibited in Chefs-d’œuvre de la Collection Ise, Musée Guimet, Paris, 2017, and illustrated in the accompanying catalogue, pp 150–151, cat. no. 52. Compare also an almost identical vase from a Japanese collection published in A Jiajing and Wanli Exhibition, Mayuyama & Co., Tokyo, 2016, pp 46–49; and a related vase of the same form, painted in underglaze blue and later redecorated in lacquer, in the British Museum, London, illustrated in Jessica Harrison-Hall, Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, London, 2001, p. 340, cat. no. 11:169.

Lot 138. Marchant 100 Years, Jiajing to Wanli. A rare wucai ‘dragon’ foliate box and cover, Mark and period of Wanli (1573-1620). Diameter 15 cm. Lot Sold 30,480 EUR (Estimate 35,000 - 50,000 EUR). © Sotheby's

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

Provenance: English Private Collection, discovered at a farmhouse in East Anglia.

Note: Compare a similar box and cover in blue and white, from the Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art preserved in the British Museum, London (accession no. PDF,B.616), illustrated in Stacey Pierson, Illustrated Catalogue of Underglaze Blue and Copper Red Decorated Porcelains in the Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, London 2004, cat. no. B616; and another related 'figural' example in the Idemitsu Museum, Tokyo, published in Chinese Ceramics in the Idemitsu Collection, Tokyo, 1987, cat. no. 201.

Lot 139. Marchant 100 Years, Jiajing to Wanli. A wucai ‘qilin’ saucer dish, Mark and period of Wanli (1573-1620). Diameter 15 cm. Lot Sold 19,050 EUR (Estimate 15,000 - 25,000 EUR). © Sotheby's

the base with a six-character mark in underglaze blue within a double circle, Japanese wood box (2)

Provenance: Japanese private family collection, Osaka.

Daisho, Tokyo, June 2017.

Note: This rare imperial saucer dish is distinguished by the lively depiction of an iron-red qilin at the centre, depicted with head raised in a proud stance, bearing a ceremonial lantern, fluttering banners and a tiered canopy on its back—all auspicious motifs symbolising the arrival of virtue and enlightened rule. The mythical beast is surrounded by beribboned treasures and ruyi-shaped clouds, emblems of blessing and authority. The rim is adorned with a finely composed scrolling green branch bearing eight evenly spaced floral blooms, creating a harmonious contrast between the rhythmic border and the animated centre. The underside continues the decorative theme with further lanterns, banners and auspicious objects.

Compare a similar dish preserved in the collection of the National Museum of China, Beijing, attesting to the imperial quality and rarity of such pieces; and another closely related example, sold in our Hong Kong rooms from the collection of Roger Pilkington (1928-69), 5th April 2016, lot 49.

Lot 142. Property from a European Private Collection. A group of eight blue and white ‘kraak’ porcelains together with a blue and white silver mounted kendi, Ming dynasty, 16th-17th century. Diameter of largest 35.2 cm. Lot Sold 5,080 EUR (Estimate 5,000 - 8,000 EUR). © Sotheby's

Sotheby's. Arts d'Asie, Paris, 12 June 2025