CHINESE BLUE AND WHITE PORCELAIN BOWL,Ming Dynasty, late 16th century. The interior painted with a figure within a circle, the exterior with four figures of long elisa alternating with four figures of small boys, chang chun jia qi four-character mark on the base, meaning "beautiful vessel and enduring spring". For a similar bowl see Christiaan. J. A. Jörg, Chinese Ceramics in the Collection of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, The Ming and Qing Dynasties, ill. p.46, pl.26: "The simple decoration harks back to Jiajing pieces and may refer to the traditional values of the family life of the Ming scholar. A shard of a similar bowl illustrated by Mudge was excavated in Mexico City, proving that pieces of this type formed part of the Spanish porcelain trade in the late 16th century - 4 3/4 in. diam. Estimate $600-800
