A BLUE AND WHITE BOWL WITH FIGURES MARK AND PERIOD OF WANLI

with low, rounded sides rising from a gently tapered foot to a flared rim, the exterior painted in bright shades of cobalt blue with four ruyi-shaped panels divided by single floral sprays above and fruiting branches below, variously enclosing two figures playing chess, an official riding a horse, looking back towards attendants carrying books and scrolls, two officials with horses, and two officials greeting each other, all set in a garden landscape with attendants and boys, the interior centred with a medallion enclosing a stylised shou character between two confronting five-clawed dragons above turbulent waves crashing on a rock, all within double-line borders repeated at the rim, the base inscribed with a six-character reign mark within a double circle

Ralph M. Chait Galleries, New York (according to label).
Collection of Herschel V. Johnson (1894-1966).
Sotheby’s London, 21st February 1967, lot 39 (£480).
Bluett & Sons Ltd, London, 1967 (£480).
Collection of Roger Pilkington (1928-69), from 1967 (£480).

The bowl is in very good condition with typical minor surface wear.
"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."

Painted with scenes of figures within lobed cartouches, this bowl is notable for the particularly animated depiction and vivid cobalt in which the scenes have been rendered. A closely related bowl, was included in the exhibition Two Hundred Years of Chinese Porcelain, S. Marchant & Son Ltd., London, 1998, cat. no. 17.

Figural scenes were also popular in the preceding Jiajing reign; see a Jiajing mark and period bowl included in the exhibition The Fame of Flame. Imperial Wares of the Jiajing and Wanli Periods, Art Gallery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2009, cat. no. 17, and sold in these rooms, 10th April 2006, lot 1674; another published in Sekai tōji zenshū/ Ceramic Art of the World, vol. 14, Tokyo, 1976, pls 214 and 215; and a third bowl sold in these rooms, 28th November 1978, lot 86.

For a biographical note on Hershel V. Johnson (1894-1966), who also owned the Chenghua ‘palace bowl’ in this collection, see lot 25.