RARE AND RETICULATED FAHUA 'BOYS AT PLAY' LARGE JAR MING DYNASTY, 15TH-16TH CENTURY 明 琺華鏤雕嬰戲圖大罐 of baluster form, the openwork outer layer depicting boys at play in groups in an outdoor setting, some seated with musical instruments, some attending to a large lotus pond, some playing with puppets and toys, between a band of beribboned auspicious motifs against leafy scrolls ground on the shoulder, and a border of petal lappets encircling the foot, all below a collar of crashing waves on the neck, with a finely carved hardwood stand (33cm high) Qty: (1) Provenance: Private Scottish collection, Edinburgh; inherited from current owner's grandfather, who was a freelance ceramic restorer and acquired this piece before the First World War Note: Fahua, meaning designs with boundaries, is a term probably coined by connoisseurs in the 1920s, refers to a palette and style of ornament rather than a kiln site. Fahua-type wares are mostly ornamented with designs outlined in relief with brightly coloured lead-alkaline glazes from a distinctive palette. During the Ming dynasty, fahua ceramics tended to be rather large-scale, mostly vases, wine jars and garden seats. [1] The example offered here falls under the category of wine jar. For a related reticulated fahua wine jar, decorated with Eight Daoist Immortals, dated to the Ming dynasty, 16th century, is in the collection of the British Museum, museum no. 2003,0731.1. Also compare to other reticulated fahua wine jars decorated with figures, Ming dynasty, in auctions, two were offered at Sotheby's New York, 24 March 2018, lot 1542 and Sotheby's Hong Kong, 9 October 2020, lot 3616; one was sold at Christie's Hong Kong 19 Mar 2020, lot 103. [1] Harrison-Hall, J. Ming Ceramics In the British Museum, London: The British Museum Press, 2001, pp. 406-409.