Bowl with duck pond design and inscription

Object Details

• Description

  Porcelain with underglaze blue decoration of reeds and birds highlighted with polychrome enamels, Tibetan or Mongolian characters to inner border, exterior with band of underglaze blue dragons chasing the flaming pearls above a band of polychrome waterfowl among lotus.

  Six character reign mark on base.

• Marks

  Reign mark: cobalt oxide under glaze: six characters in three columns: DaQing Daoguang nianzhi.

• Inscriptions

  Stylized foreign inscription with Tibetan and Sanskrit elements on frieze around interior of bowl rim, in dark blue cobalt oxide, which as a translation of Tibetan into Chinese, reads: "May the days be auspicious; may the nights be auspicious. May the midday be filled with blessings. May day and night be filled with blessings. May the blessings of the Three Jewels be realized."

• Provenance

  To 1970

  Eugene Meyer (1875-1959) and Agnes E. Meyer (1887-1970), Washington, DC, and Mt. Kisco, NY [1]

  To 1992

  Ruth Meyer Epstein (1921-2007), Scarsdale, NY, given by her parents, Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer [2]

  From 1992

  Freer Gallery of Art, given by Ruth Meyer Epstein in 1992 [3]

  Notes:

  [1] According to information included in “Page Report,” dated December 1, 1993, in object file.

  [2] See note 1.

  [3] See Ruth M. Epstein’s Deed of Gift, dated June 9, 1992, in object file.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

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

• Previous custodian or owner

  Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer ((1875-1959) and (1887-1970))

  Mrs. Ruth Meyer Epstein (1921-2007)

• Origin

  Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, China

• Credit Line

  Gift of Ruth Meyer Epstein

• Type

  Vessel

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1820s, 1850s

• Name

  Epstein, Ruth Meyer, Meyer, Eugene and Agnes E.

• Place

  China, Jiangxi province, Jingdezhen

• Topic

  Cobalt pigment, Porcelain, Art, Inscriptions, Chinese Art, Qing dynasty (1644 - 1911), Jingdezhen ware, Lotus, Ducks, Dragon

• Culture

  Buddhists, Chinese

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)