A VERY RARE AND LARGE BLUE AND WHITE BOWLTIANQI PERIOD (1621-1627)The heavily potted bowl is decorated on the exterior with various scenes depicting figures on rafts, figures traveling on horse back and by foot, figures playing chess, a fortress and a pagoda with boats in the foreground. The mouth rim is decorated with six hexafoil panels enclosing rabbits and alternating with ruyi-heads, all reserved on a diaper ground. The interior is similarly decorated on the centre with a riverscape scene including figures, pavilions, fortress and pagoda. The base is inscribed with an apocryphal six-character Chenghua mark.17 3/8 in. (44.2 cm.) diam.