This vessel in ‘famille noir' polychrome decoration is an extremely rare example of its kind, both in form (the technique was usually used for vases, not bowls) and design. Not many originals have survived, for the technique of creating such objects is very complex: the object must be fired twice and after the second firing the surface is covered with two layers of black glaze and one of transparent green. Porcelain pieces of predominantly black colour appeared and flourished in the Kangxi period (1662-1722).

The scenes depicted do not seem to be interconnected: one shows high officials seated at a table and listening to a musician; the second shows men walking in a garden; the last would seem to be a representation of the poet Li Bo (618-907) writing a letter to a barbarian ruler.