A CHINESE BLUE AND WHITE 'DEER' JARMing Dynasty, Wanli Period明萬歷 青花鹿紋小瓶Of tapered ovoid form with a short cylindrical neck, painted to the exterior with four square panels enclosing deer standing amongst foliage, all beneath a band of ruyi heads around the shoulder,8cm high-PROVENANCE:Property of a French Private Collection formed in Hong Kong during the 1960’s-1980’s來源：法國私人收藏，1960-1980年代在香港組成Note: The word for deer is a homophone for 'emolument', the motif, therefore, being a wish for prosperity. These jars, often filled with oil, were commonly exported to the southeast Asian market during the late Ming Dynasty.c.f. Two similar jars are housed in the collection of the British Museum, acc. nos.1934,0717.1-2 & 1934.07-17.2, and are also illustrated in Harrison-Hall, 'Catalogue of Late Yuan and Ming Ceramics in the British Museum', London, 2001, p.296, nos.11:49 & 11:50.