Oviform pot on footring, wide mouthrim. Low domed lid. Decorated in underglaze blue with two groups of two figures in a continuous landscape with rocks and trees. A similar landscape on the lid. Around the mouthrim a band with stacked curved lines. The shape and decoration imitate a Chinese transitional porcelain example. However, comparable Chinese pieces are larger, more oval in shape and have a higher mouthrim (Butler; Sheaf & Kilburn). Note the willow tree with a crown of flowers, a typical Japanese motif that also occurs on ewers. It may be a misinterpretation of a Chinese motif, as Japanese artists usually depicted trees faithfully (Lunsingh Scheurleer 1971, cat. 83). The landscape elements and the figures are simplified to such a degree that it is possible a Delft jar of this shape, itself decorated in Chinese transitional style, served as an example. The band around the mouthrim with a motif that does not look Oriental may also have been derived from one of the pieces of Delft faience sent as models by the VOC to Japan.