Blue and White Fish Bowl with Scholars in a Garden

Blue and whites, like this delicately crafted porcelain bowl, are among the most sought after by connoisseurs. The blue pigment is cobalt oxide, and this courtyard landscape has been applied by hand. It is said that fish bowls were invented in China to house goldfish (a type of Asian carp): the fish to be kept as charmed pets, considered to be good feng shui.