A rare and very fine Wanli imperial polychrome jar with mark, depicting an auspicious animal Chi Lin in a square medallion and a pot of camellia in another medallion, with the same decoration repeated around the wall; this well-potted jar has an elegant shape with gentle contour curving inward from the shoulder down, a typical shape of late Ming porcelain jars; the thin body is made of very fine clay as revealed by the unglazed foot rim, and was well polished before glazing and firing so that both inner and outer surfaces are very smooth; the glaze is unctuous and even; all these features are common among high quality imperial court porcelains, the delicate paintings of the Chi Lin and flowers are in the taste of court scholars and officials, the bright green and red enamels are typical for late Jiaqing early Wanli; the distinctive light grayish underglaze cobalt blue, reminiscent of the blue of earlier Chenghua period, is typical for mid/late Wanli period; this blue has a purplish tint, while Chenghua blue is without. Height 5 1/4 in., Width 5 1/2 in. Provenance: Dr. Robert I-San Lin’s Collection of Important Chinese Arts, brought to California in 1960s