Porcelain mortar decorated in blue and white with chrysanthemum flowers which symbolize Longevity because of their health giving properties. Was this mortar perhaps used for making medicines? It is signed on the bottom with the name Fu Ying and the characters ‘pan pin’ which mean ‘sample’. Apparently a traveling salesman tried to get potential buyers interested with this sample. Another interesting feature is the bottom which looks heavily chipped. A close inspection reveals however that the bottom was roughened on purpose and that the mortar may originally have been mounted in a heavy wooden block to give it more stability. It dates from the late Yuan (1279 – 1368) to the early Ming period (1368 – 1644). Diameter 11.8 cm. Height 8 cm.