- Provenance
- Provenance research underway.
- Label
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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).
- Published References
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- Ming Porcelains in the Freer Gallery of Art. Washington, 1953. p. 20, figs. 13-14.
- Collection Area(s)
- Chinese Art
- Web Resources
- Google Cultural Institute
- SI Usage Statement
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Usage Conditions Apply
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.
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CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)
This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.
Usage Conditions Apply
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.
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International Image Interoperability Framework
FS-6398_07