A large blue and white  Fish Bowl,  yu gang. Jiajing mark and period. Photo Sotheby's

the deep circular bowl with flat lip and broad lipped rim, vibrantly painted around the exterior with three carp and a mandarin fish swimming amidst lotus, fern and other aquatic plants, all between double lines, the mark written in a horizontal line at the rim; 69.2cm., 27 1/4 in. Estimate 80,000-120,000 GBP

NOTE: It is extremely rare to find Jiajing fishbowls decorated with a scene of swimming carp; for a fishbowl of this form painted with dragons in cobalt, see one in the J. Love collection, illustrated in R.L Hobson, The Wares of the Ming Dynasty, London, 1962, pl. 26; another depicting a scene of ducks swimming amongst lotus, from the collection of His Majesty King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden, included in the exhibition Ming Blue-and-White, Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Stockholm, 1964, cat. no. 59.

The design of carp in a lotus pond has its roots in the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368) and was particularly favoured for its Daoist associations by the Jiajing emperor who was a fervent follower. Synonymous with the character for 'excess', fish (I) are an emblem of wealth and abundance and in Daoist practice dates back to the foremost Daoist philosopher, Zhuangzhi, of the 4th century BC. The book Zhangzhi reports a discussion of the free-thinking Daoist with Huizi, a methodological Confucian, where Huizi attacks Zhangzhi's observation that the fish enjoy the freedom of moving around the water as they please. A range of Jiajing vessels decorated with related fish scenes are known; for example see a blue and white stemcup in the British Museum, London, published in Jessica Harrison-Hall, Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, London, 2001, pl. 9:5; and a wucai jar and cover, with a reign mark and of the period, in the Shanghai Museum, included in Zhongguo meishu quanji, vol. 3, Shanghai, 1988, pl. 121. For a Yuan original of the design, see a guan illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red (I), Shanghai, 2000, pl. 5.

For further Jiajing mark and period fishbowls of this form, but painted with various scenes in cobalt, see a dragondecorated example from the J. Love collection, illustrated in R.L. Hobson, The Wares of the Ming Dynasty, London, 1962, pl. 26, fig. 2; and another painted with ducks amongst lotus, from the collection of His Majesty King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden, was included in the exhibition Ming Blue-and-White from Swedish Collections, Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Stockholm, 1964, cat. no. 59.

Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art. London | 09 Nov 2011 www.sothebys.com