A RARE YELLOW-GLAZED CUP JIAJING MARK AND PERIOD

of bell shape, well potted with deep curved sides elegantly rising from a short foot to a flared rim, covered overall in a rich egg-yolk yellow glaze leaving the footring unglazed, the base inscribed in underglaze-blue with a six-character mark within a double-circle, Japanese wood box

This finely potted cup is in good condition with the exception of three small areas of overpainting to the rim ( 2.5, 2.5 and 1cm., wide) covering smaller areas of enamel flaking to the exterior, and minor and light glaze scratches.
"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."

The shape of the present rare cup, distinctively deep and of flared form, represents an innovation of the Jiajing period and was produced almost only in this reign of the Ming dynasty, and mainly covered in yellow and dark blue glazes. A similar pair of yellow cups, bearing Jiajing reign marks and of the period, from the Meiyintang collection and illustrated in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, vol. 2, London, 1994, pl. 698, was sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 7^th April 2011, lot 62; another from the collections of B.Z. Seligman and Sir Alfred Ackroyd, included in the Oriental Ceramic Society exhibition Monochrome Porcelain of the Ming and Manchu Dynasties, London, 1948, cat. no. 60, was sold in these rooms 11^th May 1954, lot 64, 17^th May 1966, lot 36, and again at Christie’s London, 7^th June 2004, lot 281; a pair from the collection of Edward T. Chow was sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 19^th May 1981, lot 452; and a cup from the Hall family collection and included in the Oriental Ceramic Society exhibition Iron in the Fire, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 1988, cat. no. 60, and colour plate, p. 23, was sold in these rooms, 26^th July 1966, lot 68, and again in our Hong Kong rooms, 2^nd May 2000, lot 506, and is further illustrated in Sotheby’s Thirty Years in Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2003, pl. 124.