Svartglaserad med två karaktärer i gulvitt i hög relief "nei fu". Höjd 58,5 cm.
Lagad spricka.
The characters nei fu (Inner Palace) denote imperial use. They can be seen on ceramic wares, notably wine jars of Cizhou type as early as the 14th Century.
A very similar jar of the same size and with a nei fu mark, in the Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum, illustrated in the catalogue of the special exhibition organized by the Osaka Municipal Museum of Art, Charm of Black & White Ware: Transition of Cizhou Type Wares, Osaka, p 134, no 148., with description on p.190.
A smaller jar with similar relief characters are in the Percival David Foundation, London.
Also compare the smaller jar of this type with dark brown glaze and relief-moulded neifu characters in the Idemitsu Museum, illustrated in Chinese Ceramics in the Idemitsu Collection, Tokyo, 1987, no 563.
Medley; The Worlds Great Collections: Oriental Ceramics, Vol 6, Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, London, Tokyo, 1982, p.115, no 75.
Compare a similar jar from the Collection of Dr Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987), New York. Christies Sale 8064, 1 December 1994.