“Porcelain rectangular pen box and cover with underglaze blue decoration. This rectangular box has a shallow cover and deep tray with a stepped base. The cover and tray are decorated with Arabic calligraphy in roundels and with formal lotus scroll work in pale grey-blue tones. On the base is a six-character underglaze blue Zhengde reign mark in a double square. There are four roundels on the cover, two on each side of the tray and a single roundel at both ends of the tray. Both pairs of inscriptions painted in the four roundels on the top are repeated on the long sides of the tray and the single roundels on the short ends are different again. Likely made for traveling Islamic merchants along the Silk Road. China. Ming dynasty. Inscription translation: ‘Blindness does not benefit mankind; the fool finds no contentment; wisdom causes weakness to flee’ (translated by Dr Venetia Porter).” From the [British Museum](https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/A_1973-0726-364-a-b)
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“Porcelain rectangular pen box and cover with underglaze blue decoration. This rectangular box has a shallow cover and deep tray with a stepped base. The cover and tray are decorated with Arabic calligraphy in roundels and with formal lotus scroll work in pale grey-blue tones. On the base is a six-character underglaze blue Zhengde reign mark in a double square. There are four roundels on the cover, two on each side of the tray and a single roundel at both ends of the tray. Both pairs of inscriptions painted in the four roundels on the top are repeated on the long sides of the tray and the single roundels on the short ends are different again. Likely made for traveling Islamic merchants along the Silk Road. China. Ming dynasty. Inscription translation: ‘Blindness does not benefit mankind; the fool finds no contentment; wisdom causes weakness to flee’ (translated by Dr Venetia Porter).” From the [British Museum](https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/A_1973-0726-364-a-b)