Lidded Bowl
ca. 1662-1680 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The scenes painted on this lidded bowl are from Xixiang Ji ('The West Chamber'). This drama was one of the most popular sources for porcelain decoration during the early years of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911).
On one side we can see the figures of the Scholar Zhang, the beautiful Cui Yingying and her maid Hongniang. The presence of the monk Facong tells us that they are at Pujiu Temple. This is where Zhang catches his first glimpse of Yingying and is stunned by her beauty. The other side of the bowl shows Zhang alone with Yingying, who has agreed to grant him an interview.
The decoration still shows some of the features of the painting style decorators used from about 1620 to1683 in the transitional period between the Ming and Qing dynasties. For example, here the painter has used inverted V-shapes for the grasses.
On one side we can see the figures of the Scholar Zhang, the beautiful Cui Yingying and her maid Hongniang. The presence of the monk Facong tells us that they are at Pujiu Temple. This is where Zhang catches his first glimpse of Yingying and is stunned by her beauty. The other side of the bowl shows Zhang alone with Yingying, who has agreed to grant him an interview.
The decoration still shows some of the features of the painting style decorators used from about 1620 to1683 in the transitional period between the Ming and Qing dynasties. For example, here the painter has used inverted V-shapes for the grasses.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Porcelain, painted in underglaze blue |
| Brief description | Cer, China, Qing, blue and white |
| Physical description | This bowl is painted in underglaze blue with scenes from Xixiang Ji (The West Chamber), one of the most popular sources of decoration on porcelain during the early years of the Qing dynasty. On one side are Scholar Zhang, Cui Yingying and her maid Hongniang, and the presence of the monk Facong makes it clear that they are at Pujiu Temple, where Zhang catches the first glimpse of Yingying and is stunned by her beauty. The other side of the bowl shows Zhang alone with Yingying, the latter having been persuaded to grant him an interview. The lid is painted with five boys playing in a garden. The bowl has two chi dragon handles in biscuit, with traces of red pigment and gilding. On the lid is a biscuit knop in the shape of a lion also with traces of gilding. A four-character mark in two lines is on the base: Deyu Tang zhi (made for the Hall of Jade-like Virtue). The painting style still shows some of the characteristics of the Ming/Qing transitional period, for instance the grasses are painted V-shaped, only inverted. The chi dragon handles in their original state would have looked exactly like those on the yellow waterpot, and the two vessels should be of similar date. No information is available about the Deyu Tang. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions | A four-character mark in two lines is on the base: Deyu Tang zhi (made for the Hall of Jade-like Virtue). |
| Credit line | Salting Bequest |
| Object history | Bequeathed by Mr. George Salting, accessioned in 1910. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project. |
| Literary reference | The West Chamber |
| Summary | The scenes painted on this lidded bowl are from Xixiang Ji ('The West Chamber'). This drama was one of the most popular sources for porcelain decoration during the early years of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). On one side we can see the figures of the Scholar Zhang, the beautiful Cui Yingying and her maid Hongniang. The presence of the monk Facong tells us that they are at Pujiu Temple. This is where Zhang catches his first glimpse of Yingying and is stunned by her beauty. The other side of the bowl shows Zhang alone with Yingying, who has agreed to grant him an interview. The decoration still shows some of the features of the painting style decorators used from about 1620 to1683 in the transitional period between the Ming and Qing dynasties. For example, here the painter has used inverted V-shapes for the grasses. |
| Bibliographic reference | Wilson, Ming, Rare marks on Chinese ceramics, London : Published by the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, in association with the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1998
28 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.948&A-1910 |
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| Record created | February 8, 2000 |
| Record URL |
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