A RARE LARGE BLUE AND WHITE 'HUNDRED' DEER JARWanli Sturdily potted with tapering sides rising to gently curving shoulders surmounted by a short waisted neck, painted around the body with a continuous scene of numerous deer amidst a rocky landscape dotted with trees and wispy clouds, all between a floral and butterfly border at the mouth rim and lappets at the foot. 55cm (21 1/2in) high. 明萬曆 青花百鹿紋大罐 The Chinese word for deer ( lu 鹿), is a homophone for the word for emolument or an official salary ( lu 祿), thus deer are symbolic of the rank and wealth. In the troubled times of the late Ming dynasty however, emperors were particularly keen for evidence of Heaven's blessing on their rule. Hu Zongxian (1512-1565) for example, submitted a memorial to the Jiajing emperor on the sighting of a rare white deer - a good omen for the superstitious Jiajing emperor - for which Hu was richly rewarded. Jars such as the present lot, decorated with deer, were particularly favoured at Court during the second half of the 16th century and early 17th century. pare with a pair of blue and white jars and covers of very similar design, but without the lappet band at the foot, in the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Stockholm, illustrated in Oriental Ceramics , vol.8, pl.247, and by D.Lion-Goldschmidt, Ming Ceramics , New York, 1978, p.187, no.183; this pair of jars was given to Queen Christina of Sweden by the Portuguese Embassy in 1640. A smaller very similarly decorated jar is illustrated in Sekai Toji Zenshu , Tokyo, 1976, vol.14, p.307, fig.218. See a blue and white 'Hundred' deer vase, Wanli, which was sold at Sotheby's London, 9 June 2015, lot 114; and see also a related smaller wucai 'Hundred' deer vase, Wanli mark and period (34cm high), which was sold at Sotheby's New York, 14 March 2017, lot 12.