A large and impressive famille verte vase and associated cover, Kangxi. Photo Bonhams.

The slender body boldly and brightly enamelled with a continuous battle scene, set within a rocky, mountainous landscape, the neck with a decorative band of Buddhist symbols reserved on a brocade and diamond pattern, the base with an underglaze blue emblem within a double-circle. The vase: 50.5cm (19 7/8in) high; with the cover: 57cm (22 3/8in) high (2). Estimate £25,000 - 30,000 (€31,000 - 37,000)

The use of narrative scenes inspired by great literary works set in an idealised past was very popular in the 17th century. The battle scene on the present vase is probably inspired either by the Ming novel 'The Outlaws of the Marsh', or by 'The Romance of the Three Kingdoms', an historical novel written in the 17th century by Luo Guanzhong, who describes the struggles for power that followed the fall of the last Han Emperor.

Bonhams. ASIAN DECORATIVE ARTS. 4 Mar 2014, San Francisco - www.bonhams.com