Imperial blue and white square bowl. The base with six-character mark of Jiajing in underglaze blue and of the period, 1522-1566. Photo courtesy Marchant

with gently flared rim and slightly inverted foot, painted on the exterior with four lobed square medallions each with a camellia flower on a single branch amongst leaves and between a different pair of the eight treasures on a lingzhi cloud-scroll ground, the interior painted in the well with a large shou-character within a double square, beneath a band of eight lingzhi on a continuous scrolling branch at the rim. 12.3cm wide. Price on request

• Formerly in a Japanese private collection.
• Included by Christie’s in their auction at the Hotel Okura, Tokyo, Volume II, 15th February 1981, no. 347, p. 43.
• An identical bowl is illustrated by Peter Y. K. Lam and Li Sukyee in Enlightening Elegance, Imperial Porcelain of the Mid to Late Ming, The Huaihaitang Collection, no. 71, pp. 260/1.

Marchant. 'Chinese Ceramics Tang to Qing' exhibiting tuesday 6th may - friday 30th may 2014 - http://www.marchantasianart.com/