KRUKA, keramik. Ming dynastin (1368-1644).

The characters nei fu (Inner Palace) denote imperial use. They can be seen on ceramic wares, notably wine jars of Cizhou type as early as the 14th Century.

A very similar jar of the same size and with a nei fu mark, in the Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum, illustrated in the catalogue of the special exhibition organized by the Osaka Municipal Museum of Art, Charm of Black & White Ware: Transition of Cizhou Type Wares, Osaka, p 134, no 148., with description on p.190.

A smaller jar with similar relief characters are in the Percival David Foundation, London.

Also compare the smaller jar of this type with dark brown glaze and relief-moulded neifu characters in the Idemitsu Museum, illustrated in Chinese Ceramics in the Idemitsu Collection, Tokyo, 1987, no 563.

Medley; The Worlds Great Collections: Oriental Ceramics, Vol 6, Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, London, Tokyo, 1982, p.115, no 75.