Bowl with landscapes

Polychrome–Guyuexuan (Ku Yueh Hsuan) type.
Bowl, spreading ovoidal; thin basal ring. Ivory stand.
Clay: semi-translucent; musical.
Glaze: glossy, white.
Decoration: in over-glaze enamels, including four inscription with seals.
Mark in raised blue enamel: Yongzheng (Yung Cheng).

Historical period(s)
Qing dynasty, Yongzheng reign mark and period, 1723-1735
Medium
Porcelain with lead-silicate enamels over colorless clear glaze
Style
Guyuexuan ware
Dimensions
H x W: 7.5 x 15.9 cm (2 15/16 x 6 1/4 in)
Geography
China, Jiangxi province, Jingdezhen
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1929.83a-g
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Bowl

Keywords
China, Guyuexuan ware, porcelain, Qing dynasty (1644 - 1911)
Provenance

1929
Yamanaka and Company, New York 1929 [1]

From 1929
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Yamanaka and Company, New York in 1929 [2]

Notes:

[1] Object file, undated folder sheet. Also see Freer Gallery of Art Purchase List file, Collections Management Office.

[2] See note 1.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Yamanaka and Co. 1917-1965

Description

Polychrome--Guyuexuan (Ku Yueh Hsuan) type.
Bowl, spreading ovoidal; thin basal ring. Ivory stand.
Clay: semi-translucent; musical.
Glaze: glossy, white.
Decoration: in over-glaze enamels, including four inscription with seals.
Mark in raised blue enamel: Yongzheng (Yung Cheng).

Marking(s)

Mark in raised blue enamel: Yongzheng (Yung Cheng).

Label

Turning this bowl to view the four monochrome landscape panels is analogous to turning the pages of an album of ink-wash paintings.  The scenes on the bowl bear inscription and simulated red seal-impressions, elements of decor that further the comparison between these landscapes and album paintings.  The ornateness of the surrounding "millefleur" border pattern, however, is an aesthetic appreciated in porcelain painting that has no correlation in the traditions of album and scroll painting.  The poem on the bowl's facing side reads: "Beneath snowy bamboo, wintry green."  The seal contains the word "winter."

Published References
  • Jan Stuart. Unified Style in Chinese Painting and Porcelain in the 18th Century. vol. 41, no. 2, Summer 1995. p. 44, fig. 17.
  • B. A. Devere Bailey. The Old Moon Pavilion Ware. vol. 67, no. 393 London, December 1935. p. 267, pl. 1.
Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
SI Usage Statement

Usage Conditions Apply

There are restrictions for re-using this image. 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 Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery welcome information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

citation | Save this image How to download an image | Request Permission | Terms of Use