Small bowl with overglaze decoration

Object Details

• Description

  Bowl, ovoidal with slightly everted lip; thin basal ring. Ivory stand. Clay: thin, translucent. Glaze: white. Decoration: Plum blossoms in reserve in a ground of raspberry-red enamel; details in black and yellow enamels. The base of the bowl bears a four-character overglaze blue enamel mark framed in a double-outlined square that read "Yongzheng nianzhi."

• Marks

  4-character blue enamel mark over colorless glaze written inside double-outline square; reads "Yongzheng nianzhi."

  4-character blue enamel mark over colorless glaze written inside double-outline square; reads "Yongzheng nianzhi."

• Label

  Plum blossoms, which symbolize beauty and resoluteness, are a popular motif on ceramics. The surface of this Qing-dynasty bowl from the Jingdezhen imperial kilns is covered with a dense design of plum blossoms, delineated in the "Outline" method. The blossoms sparkle against the ruby-colored background, providing an interesting comparison with the painting by Yansou.

• Provenance

  From at least 1932 to 1934

  William E. Glyn, New York and Newport, from at least March 1932 [1]

  From 1934

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased through Yamanaka and Company, New York from William E. Glyn in January 1934 [2]

  Notes:

  [1] The object had been consigned by William E. Glyn of New York and Newport to the Yamanaka and Company, New York by March 1932, see letter from K. Tanaka, Yamanaka and Company, New York to John E. Lodge, Freer Gallery of Art, March 12, 1932, copy in object file.

  It was sent to the Freer Gallery of Art for acquisition consideration in April that year, see “List of Objects Contemplated for Purchase by the Freer Gallery of Art,” approved on April 12, 1932, in Freer Gallery of Art Purchase List After 1920 file, copy in object file.

  [2] The object was acquired and formally accessioned to the Freer Gallery of Art’s collection in January 1934.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Looking Out, Looking In: Art in Late Imperial China (October 14, 2017 - ongoing)

  Beyond Brushwork: Symbolism in Chinese Painting (April 29 to November 26, 2006)

  Beyond Paper: Chinese Calligraphy on Objects (August 18, 1994 to July 3, 1997)

  Chinese Flower Paintings (March 18 to September 22, 1983)

  Chinese Ceramics (April 11, 1978 to September 4, 1980)

  Chinese Art (January 1, 1963 to March 6, 1981)

  Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Ceramics (March 7, 1957 to January 1, 1963)

  Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Ceramics, 1955 (September 19, 1955 to November 10, 1955)

  Centennial Exhibition, Gallery 13 (November 10, 1955 to March 1, 1957)

  Untitled Exhibition, East Asian Ceramics and Paintings, East Corridor (January 8, 1947 to ---)

  Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Art, 1946 (May 6, 1946 to November 17, 1955)

  Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Ceramics and Paintings (November 14, 1944 to May 3, 1946)

  Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Painting and Ceramics, 1943 (March 22, 1943 to November 13, 1944)

  Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Painting and Ceramics (March 14, 1931 to March 22, 1943)

• Previous custodian or owner

  William E. Glyn

• Origin

  Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, China

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Vessel

• On View

  Freer Gallery 13: Looking Out, Looking In: Art in Late Imperial China

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1720s, 1730s

• Name

  Glyn, William E.

• Place

  China, Jiangxi province, Jingdezhen

• Topic

  Porcelain, Art, Chinese Art, Qing dynasty (1644 - 1911), Ceramics, Jingdezhen ware, Plum blossom, Falangcai

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)

• On View

  Yes