Bowl

Object Details

• Description

  Blue-and-white.

  Clay: fine white porcelain; brownish mottling on footrim.

  Glaze: plain, transparent.

  Decoration: in underglaze blue; garden scene with figures outside; plain white inside; 6-character Hsuan-te mark.

• Marks

  6-character Hsuan-te mark.

• Label

  Two women and their attendants stroll through a garden containing ornamental rocks and large plants; thick clouds half-conceal the adjacent building. Such landscapes are sometimes said to represent the mythical land of the Daoist immortals, but the story is likely to have a more specific topic and may illustrate a famous poem or drama. Today it is often impossible to recognize the theme. The painting has a slightly hazy quality that is typical of many Xuande wares and may result from the presence of air bubbles in the glaze.

  Reign marks written in cobalt beneath the glaze, like the one seen here (see previous page), first began to be common on imperial wares in the Xuande period, but they were not mandatory. The style of the writing was based on the calligraphy of a favored Ming-court artist named Shen Du (1357-1434).

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

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

  East of Eden: Gardens in Asian Art (February 24 to May 13, 2007)

  Luxury and Luminosity: Visual Culture and the Ming Court (July 3, 2004 to June 26, 2005)

  Chinese Ceramics (May 9, 1993 to April 17, 1995)

  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, Chinese Art, 1953 (May 26, 1953 to September 15, 1953)

  Stone Sculpture, Buddhist Bronze, and Chinese Painting (May 2, 1923 to February 25, 1956)

• 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

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

  The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1400s

• Place

  China, Jiangxi province, Jingdezhen

• Topic

  Porcelain, Art, Chinese Art, Ceramics, Jingdezhen ware, Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644), Xuande reign (1426 - 1435)

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)

• On View

  Yes