Porcelain blue-and-white lidded box, Ming dynasty

Rectangular box with a lid and five visible sides decorated with natural landscapes of mountains, rivers, or gardens with characters performing different activities. On the lid is a night scene with an official and three children in a mountain temple initiating a ritual. The sky shows the moon and constellations, and the children hold lanterns. Finally, on the sides of the lid is a decorative line of concentric circles. 

The inside of the box and the base are covered with undecorated white enamel, which shows cracks and imperfections from the firing process. In the five scenes on the outside, the figures depicted and the elements surrounding them are made in underglaze blue enamel, which acquires different saturations depending on the amount of pigment applied, creating different shades.

Size: 8.30 x 10.50 x 17.50 cm