Lidded box Jingdezhen, southeast China Ming dynasty, Jiajing reign mark and period, AD 1522-1566

On the lid of this box we find the character shou for long life, and the indented corners show lingzhi, the mushroom which supposedly gives immortality. The Jiajing emperor was obsessed with his quest for long life (especially after his concubines tried to kill him because of his cruelty) and porcelain from his reign period is decorated with symbols of immortality. Porcelain, underglaze blue decoration. Bequeathed by Mr F. P. M. Schiller.