JIAJING SIX-CHARACTER MARK IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE AND OF THE PERIOD (1522-1566)

While yellow-ground underglaze blue wares were created at the Jingdezhen kilns during the Jiajing reign, examples of the ‘crane and trigram’ design with this color combination are rare. A blue and white Jiajing mark-and-period square bowl of similar size (14.8 cm.) and with the same design was sold at Sotheby’s London, 6 November 2019, lot 28. See, also, another Jiajing blue and white square bowl of this design sold at Sotheby’s London, 14 June 1985, lot 446.

The choice of crane motifs on this bowl is in keeping with Emperor Jiajing's keen interest in Daoism, which regarded the crane as a symbol of longevity, immortality, and wisdom. They are also associated with auspiciousness and faithfulness.