The auction house catalogued it as 19th century and was probably correct: if there had been a mark to the base it had removed when the base had been ground out. Estimated at £300-500 at the sale on February 10, it sold at £25,000.
From a different source was a blue and white cylindrical form brush pot, 6½in (16.5cm) high, painted with a narrative scene. It was dated to the ‘18th or 19th century’ but more probably was from the Transitional or early Kangxi (1661-1722) period.
The composition probably relates to one of the Ming epics – the literary inspiration for many ‘scholars’ objects of the period. In good condition and sold with a carved hardwood stand, it was estimated at £150-200 but took £5000.