A BLUE AND WHITE TIERED BOX AND COVER MING DYNASTY, CHENGHUA PERIOD

well potted and of circular section, the box comprising three separate trays and a cover of slightly domed form, the sides of the tiers bordered in various tones of cobalt-blue with a continuous lotus scroll issuing large lotus blooms and small curling leaves, the domed cover with two young boys next to floral sprigs and a fence, one boy standing behind the other with his hands on the latter's shoulders whilst the latter holds a lotus stem in his left hand, the sides detailed with a classic scroll band

Collection of Captain W.R. Clarke.
Christie's London, 12th October 1970, lot 20.
J.T. Tai & Co., New York, circa 1972.
Sotheby’s New York, 4th November 1978, lot 56.
Christie’s New York, 13th/14th September 2012, lot 1419.

The cover is in overall fairly good condition except some wear and natural pinholes to the surface. There are grits to the area above the foot of the bottom tray. There is also a vertical hairline crack measuring approx.. 1.3 cm. running from the rim with an associated minor flake to the unglazed rim. There is an approx. 2 cm. hairline crack running from the rim on the interior of another tray. There is a repainted area from the rim of approx. 6 x 1.6 cm. There is also another approx. 1 x 4 cm. C-shaped repainted area with adjacent areas covered with overspray. There is a W-shaped rim chip measuring approx. 0.4 x 1.7 cm. to another tray.
"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."

This charming box is painted with the auspicious motif of two boys playing. A related motif depicting children at play is found on a bowl in the British Museum, London, illustrated in Jessica Harrison-Hall, Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, London, 2001, pl. 6:2.

A tiered box painted on the cover with a lady and acolyte, in the Shanghai Museum, is illustrated in Wang Qingzheng, Underglaze Blue and Red. Elegant Decoration on Porcelain of Yuan, Ming and Qing, Hong Kong, 1993, pl. 121; and a Chenghua mark and period bowl painted with a related scene of boys in play, was included in the exhibition The Emperor's Broken China. Reconstructing Chenghua Porcelain, Sotheby’s London, 1995, cat. no. 54 (fig. 1).  A blue and white fragmentary box and cover decorated with a garden scene, probably a half-finished doucai piece, was also excavated from the Chenghua waste heaps of the Ming imperial kiln site at Jingdezhen, included in ibid., cat. no. 9, and illustrated in Imperial Porcelain: Recent Discoveries of Jingdezhen Ware, Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka, 1995, cat. no. 114 (fig. 2). Compare also a two-tiered box attributed to the Zhengde reign (1505-1521), painted with figures in a landscape, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Blue and White Porcelain with Underglaze Red (II), Shanghai, 2000, pl. 52.