Pair of ewers, China, Ming dynasty. Porcelain painted in underglaze blue. RCIN 1205. Royal Collection © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Pair of small globular porcelain ewers with short necks and round handles, slightly cupped mouth and spreading foot, a loop handle joining the neck and body. Painted in violet blue with figures in a landscape between petal panel borders below, a floral border on the shoulder and ‘tulip’ sprays on the neck. On No.1 a servant carries a tray towards a man seated on a terrace. On No.2 a man rises from his seat to greet a bearded colleague, by a table with a brushpot and a vase containing a sprig of coral.