Hexagonal porcelain jar with underglaze blue decoration, Ming dynasty, probably Jiajing period (1522-1566). Height: 15.3 cm. 1931,0713.1 © 2017 Trustees of the British Museum

This 'min yao' hexagonal jar has a short six-sided neck and foot. Lotus ponds alternately with cranes and mandarin ducks are bordered with lappets below and 'ruyi' heads above, and there is a key-fret design around the neck. Four characters on the base in a double square read 'Wan fu you tong' [May ten thousand blessings gather together]. 

Harrison-Hall 2001:
This type of jar would originally have had a domed hexagonal overhanging cover with a knob finial. A hexagonal jar and cover of identical shape and with the same blue-and-white decoration, and with an apocryphal Xuande reign mark in a double square on the base, was excavated at Taizhou, Jiangsu, from the tomb of Liu Xiang (1495-1541) and of his wife Mme Qiu (1496-1558). The jar was one of only two ceramics included in the burial which otherwise is renowned for its textiles, including male and female clothing.