Bowl with silver gilt mount, Ming dynasty, about 1522–66, mounts dated about 1720–80. Porcelain with incised and underglaze cobalt-blue decoration, and silver-gilt mounts, Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province; mounted in Germany; 12,3 x 19,8 cm. On loan from Sir Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, PDF,A.691 © Trustees of the British Museum

This simple blue-and-white porcelain Jiajing period (AD 1522-66) bowl has been transformed in Europe by silversmiths. These craftsmen have added elaborate ormolu mounts as handles, foot and cover, transforming the bowl into a soup dish. The mounts are impressed with symbols including a pineapple. These are the marks of craftsmen working in Augsburg - then an independent state in Bavaria (Germany). Inside in underglaze blue is an eagle perched on a rock and waves in a roundel in the centre. The base has an inscription 長命富貴 (chang ming fu gui, 'Longlife riches and honour').