A LARGE AND RARE BLUE AND WHITE BOX AND COVER MARK AND PERIOD OF JIAJING

of octagonal compressed globular form, the cover painted in rich cobalt blue tones with a medallion enclosing pairs of birds amidst peony, lingzhi and fruiting peach, each of the eight sides of the box and cover similarly painted and divided at the rims with rectangular panels enclosing sprays of lingzhi and peach 

The box and cover are in very good overall condition with the exception of glaze pulls and fritting along the edges of each lobe corner and the edges of the rim of the box, with associated small areas of over-painting to some of these areas, similar glaze pulls and frits to the cover with associated over-painting to four edges, glaze scratches predominantly to the top of the cover, overall minor glaze firing imperfections including iron-spots, small blisters and burst glaze bubbles. It should be noted that the cobalt-blue is of a stronger tone than the catalogue illustration would suggest.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Although Jiajing boxes of this octagonal form are rare, a similar box formerly in the Eumorfopoulos collection and now in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, is illustrated in R.L. Hobson, Catalogue of the Chinese, Corean and Persian Pottery and Porcelain, London, 1927, pl. III, D26. Another closely related box is included in the Illustrated Catalogue of Tokyo National Museum. Chinese Ceramics II, Tokyo, 1990, cat.no. 98; and one, similarly painted with birds and flowers, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, is published in Suzanne G. Valenstein, A Handbook of Chinese Ceramics, New York, 1989, pl. 167.

Compare also a vase of this form and decoration sold in our New York rooms, 27th June 1987, lot 14; one from the Nanjing Museum included in the exhibition Chinese Porcelain in Underglaze Blue from the Nanjing Museum Collection, Sagawa Art Museum, Sagawa, 2003, cat.no. 54; and one, in a private collection, illustrated in Sekai toji zenshu, vol. 14, Tokyo, 1976, pls. 70-71.