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

with cylindrical sides boldly painted in bright cobalt-blue tones, depicting five-clawed dragons striding amongst undulating leafy lotus scrolls, their sinuous bodies carefully picked out with scales, the top of the slightly domed cover similarly painted with two further dragons striding amidst a lotus meander, their mouths agape revealing sharp fangs and their manes billowing behind, the muscular legs terminating in powerful claws, all divided by double line borders, inscribed to one side of the cover with a rectangular cartouche enclosing a six-character reign mark

The Tsui Museum of Art, Hong Kong.
Christie’s New York, 18th September 1997, lot 155.

Ryoichi Fujioka, Sekai Toji Zenshu/Collection of World's Ceramics, vol. 14, Tokyo, 1976, p. 214, fig. 57.
Beauty and Tranquillity: The Eli Lilly Collection of Chinese Art, Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, 1983, p. 256, fig. a.
The Tsui Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1991, pl. 81.

The box is in overall good condition except one shallow glaze flake (0.3cm) to the edge of the top and minute nicks/bruises to the rims. The base of the box with some minor firing lines. Light fritting characteristic of the period.
"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."

An innovation of the Jiajing reign, this impressive piece belongs to a rare group of large ring-shaped boxes produced for the emperor. Commonly referred to as chaozhu he ('box for court jewels'), this type is listed by Geng Baochang in Ming Qing ciqi jianding [Appraisal of Ming and Qing porcelain], Hong Kong, 1993, fig. 233, no. 3, where he describes it as chuanling shi he, in reference to its shape. As the name suggests, boxes of this type are believed to have been used as containers for precious court accessories, such as necklaces or belts which often consisted of beads, plaques or pendants made from precious stones which were strung together. The circular form of this piece would have allowed for jewellery to be stored in an orderly and safe manner. 

In their size and unusual form these boxes display the high level of experimentation exercised by potters active at Jingdezhen in the 16th century, when an increasing number of porcelain vessels of unconventional shapes began to appear. Boxes of this form were constructed through the use of moulds, and the present type is particularly notable due to its large and regular size. Only two Jiajing boxes of this type appear to have been published, the first was included in A Special Exhibition of the Huang Ding Xuan Collection, Kaohsiung Museum of History, 1999, cat. no. 36; and the second from the Eli Lilly Collection, was sold in our New York rooms, 1st/2nd June 1993, lot 306.

A Jiajing mark and period box of this form and large size, but painted with Daoist immortals, from the Rogers fund in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, is illustrated in Suzanne G. Valenstein, A Handbook of Chinese Ceramics, New York, 1989, pl. 168; and one painted with cranes and bagua, illustrated in Ma Xigui, ed., Mei zai taoci. Qinghua Ming ci/ Beauty of Ceramics. Blue and White Porcelain, Taipei, 1993, pl. 53. Compare also a box of this shape but painted with Daoist immortals against an iron-red ground, from the Eli Lilly Collection, included in the exhibition Beauty and Tranquillity: The Eli Lilly Collection of Chinese Art, Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, 1983, cat. no. 102, where the present box is illustrated as a comparative example, p. 256, fig. a.

Boxes of related ring shape but of smaller size were also made in lacquer, such as one attributed to the Wanli period, sold in our New York rooms, 15th June 1983.