China, Jiajing to Wanli periods, mid-16^th to mid-17^th century. Elegantly potted, of baluster shape with gently curving sides, painted in deep cobalt blue with six roundels enclosing peony, camellia, lotus, chrysanthemum and pomegranate. The shoulder and lid with bands of ruyi heads, a band of petal lappets above the base and a band of vine scrolls around the neck.

The recessed base with the underglaze-blue four-character hallmark within a double circle.

Inscriptions: To the base, ‘Yu tang jia qi’.

Provenance: Collection of W. R. Hodgson, acquired in Tokyo in the early 1950s on the advice of Professor Fujio Koyama of the Tokyo National Museum. Thence by descent within the family. Zacke, Vienna, 25 April 2020, lot 289, sold for EUR 10,112 or approx. EUR 12,500 (adjusted for inflation at the time of writing). Collection of Dr. John Bannard (1941-2023), Nottingham, United Kingdom, acquired from the above and thence by descent. Lieutenant Colonel William Roy Hodgson, CMG, OBE (1892-1958) was an Australian soldier, public servant, and diplomat. His significant achievements were being involved in the formation of the United Nations General Assembly and representing Australia internationally at many diplomatic conferences during the Second World War, and being a member of the drafting committee of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. He served as Australian Minister to Japan between 1949-1952. Dr. John Bannard (1941-2023) was a British scientist who started his career at Nottingham University, then moving to The University of Limerick to found the faculty of Industrial Chemistry. He later started his own company, holding patents for the invention of laser activated inks, and the development of medical sterilization inks. His true passion, however, was collecting paintings and works of art, and it was his lifelong ambition to open his own gallery upon retirement, a dream he sadly was never able to realize as he retired at the ripe age of 82.
Condition: Good condition with minor wear, tiny surface scratches, minor firing irregularities including pitting and firing cracks, one minuscule Kintsugi touchup to the mouth, the knob reattached, few hairlines to the mouth and one to the cover, and two hairline cracks to the interior of the body.

Weight: 1,7 kg (total)
Dimensions: Height 25 cm

The Jade Hall, Yu Tang, also known as the Hanlin Academy, was an official body in Beijing open only to scholar-officials who received the jinshi (metropolitan) degree. The Hanlin Academy or ‘Office of the Forest of Brushes’ was founded in 738, and once it gained control over rescript writing, became the preeminent scholarly institution of the inner court. The Yu Tang Jia Qi mark occurs on porcelain from the Jiajing, Wanli, Tianqi, Chongzhen, Shunzhi, and Kangxi periods in differing calligraphic forms and means ‘Beautiful Vessel for the Jade Hall’. Porcelains with this mark are considered to be rare.

Literature comparison:
Compare with a closely related blue and white bowl with similar decoration, dated to the Jiajing period, in the British Museum, registration number C627.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 4 April 2012, lot 3165
Price: HKD 325,000 or approx. EUR 55,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A blue and white 'dragon' bowl, Yu tang jia qi mark and period of Wanli
Expert remark: Note that this blue and white bowl has the same hallmark as the present lot.