Bowl
1426-1435 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This bowl is an example of the good quality blue and white porcelain produced during the reign of the Ming emperor Xuande (1425-35). The decoration, consisting of two dragons flying among clouds, was painted in cobalt blue on the plain porcelain body before the application of a transparent glaze.
In the post-war decades western collectors' taste in Chinese ceramics shifted towards blue and white porcelain produced in the 14th and 15th century, the time of the Yuan and early Ming dynasties. This bowl, which came to the museum in 1951, has many of the characteristics that would have pleased a collector of Chinese ceramics: it is in good condition and of demonstrable 'imperial quality'. Its form and decorative style, and the presence of an imperial reign mark painted on its surface, are the key factors by which this bowl can be identified as a product of the imperial porcelain factory for court use.
In the post-war decades western collectors' taste in Chinese ceramics shifted towards blue and white porcelain produced in the 14th and 15th century, the time of the Yuan and early Ming dynasties. This bowl, which came to the museum in 1951, has many of the characteristics that would have pleased a collector of Chinese ceramics: it is in good condition and of demonstrable 'imperial quality'. Its form and decorative style, and the presence of an imperial reign mark painted on its surface, are the key factors by which this bowl can be identified as a product of the imperial porcelain factory for court use.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Porcelain, painted in underglaze blue |
| Brief description | Xuande dice bowl; Cer, China, Ming, blue and white |
| Physical description | Porcelain bowl painted in underglaze blue with two five-clawed dragons among clouds, set between a wave border along the rim and a decorative band on the bottom part. The internal surface is plain except for the six characters of Xuande reign mark within a double ring. |
| Dimensions |
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| Styles | |
| Marks and inscriptions | 'Da ming xuan de nian zhi' on base
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| Gallery label |
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| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This bowl is an example of the good quality blue and white porcelain produced during the reign of the Ming emperor Xuande (1425-35). The decoration, consisting of two dragons flying among clouds, was painted in cobalt blue on the plain porcelain body before the application of a transparent glaze. In the post-war decades western collectors' taste in Chinese ceramics shifted towards blue and white porcelain produced in the 14th and 15th century, the time of the Yuan and early Ming dynasties. This bowl, which came to the museum in 1951, has many of the characteristics that would have pleased a collector of Chinese ceramics: it is in good condition and of demonstrable 'imperial quality'. Its form and decorative style, and the presence of an imperial reign mark painted on its surface, are the key factors by which this bowl can be identified as a product of the imperial porcelain factory for court use. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.310-1951 |
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| Record created | December 15, 1999 |
| Record URL |
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