Blue and white charcoal container hiire,  four-character mark da ming nian zhi, "Made in the reign of the Great Ming". Chongzhen, 1628-1644. Photo Marchant

painted in a continuous scene with a boat, its sail furled, being pulled through choppy waters by three men on the shore edge wearing a harness, the bow and stern continue around the corners of the vessel as do the harnessed men, all above a scroll band on the raised foot and beneath a double line in underglaze blue at the rim. The underside with a four-character mark da ming nian zhi, "Made in the reign of the Great Ming". 3 5/8 inches, 9.3cm diameter. Price on request

A similar example is illustrated by Richard S. Kilburn in Transitional Wares and Their Forerunners, no.135, p.170, and is also illustrated on the front cover by Julia B. Curtis in Trade, Taste and Transformation, Jingdezhen Porcelain for Japan, 1620-1645, China Institute Gallery, New York, 2006, no.16, p.47/8, where the author mentions this container, popular in Japan, was made to sit on a tobacco tray. Tea masters provided guests with tobacco trays bearing pipes, tongs, a container of loose tobacco and a jar for ash refuse to be used in their waiting rooms before the tea ceremony. The charcoal container was filled with ash and a piece of charcoal placed on the ash, guests would pick up the charcoal with tongs to light their pipes

Julia B. Curtis also points out "much of the decoration is painted in outline, notably the figures and the waves which are rendered in a stylised pattern known as araumi, "rough seas", in Japan.

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