Imperial bowl, wan. The base with six-character mark of Jiajing within a double ring in underglaze blue and of the period, 1522-1566. Photo courtesy Marchant

covered overall in a rich even egg-yolk yellow glaze slightly thinning towards the gently flared rim. 18cm diameter. Price on request

• Formerly in a European private collection.
• Purchased from Marchant circa 1980.
• A similar bowl is illustrated by William Jay Rathburn and Jay Gates in In Pursuit of the Dragon, Traditions and Transitions in Ming Ceramics, An Exhibition from the Idemitsu Museum of Arts, 1988, no. 42, p. 104, also illustrated by The Osaka City Art Museum in their exhibition of Ming and Qing Art, 1980, pl. 77, p. 23; another is illustrated by Regina Krahl and John Ayers in Chinese Ceramics in the Topkapi Saray Museum, Istanbul, A Complete Catalogue, Volume II, Yuan and Ming Dynasty Porcelains, 1986, no. 776, collection no. 15/2731, p. 577.
• A larger example, in the Qing Court Collection, is illustrated in Monochrome Porcelain, The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Beijing, no. 43, p. 48, and a further example from the H. R. N. Norton collection, is illustrated by John Ayers in Chinese Ceramics, The Koger Collection, no. 75, pp. 100/1.

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