Excitement filled the room at Aste di Antiquariato Boetto’s auction in Genoa on June 19, when a 12-inch (30 cm) Chinese blue and white jar, initially valued at €2000-2300, fetched a remarkable €820,000 (£692,000).
The auction house had dated the piece to the 18th century, but enthusiastic bidders speculated it could be a Yuan dynasty fish jar or guan from the 1350s.
The ‘fish-in-waterpond’ motif, first seen on Yuan dynasty blue and white ceramics, was not merely decorative. The four species of fish typically depicted—qingyu (mullet), baiyu, liyu (carp), and guiyu (mandarin fish)—held significant Daoist symbolism, representing spiritual freedom, a cherished ideal among China’s intellectual elite.
Despite their age, numerous Yuan fish jars have survived, and their quality and prices vary widely. However, the finest examples can command extraordinary prices. A notable jar from the Joseph Hotung collection, for instance, sold for nearly HK$40 million at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in October 2022.
Large jars of this type, among the earliest examples of blue and white porcelain, were often used to store alcohol or water for tea. Archaeological findings indicate that such jars were produced at various ceramic centers, including Longquan, the Cizhou kilns, and Jingdezhen.
