Stem bowl with attached stand

Polychrome.
Body: fine-grained white porcelain.
Glaze: on bowl, pure white; on base, celadon.
Decorated with overglaze enamels.
Six-character seal mark of the Qianlong period in underglaze blue on foot of stem.

Historical period(s)
Qing dynasty, Qianlong reign, 1736-1795
Medium
Porcelain with celadon glaze and enamel over clear, colorless glaze
Style
Jingdezhen ware
Dimensions
H x W: 13.5 x 16.3 cm (5 5/16 x 6 7/16 in)
Geography
China, Jiangxi province, Jingdezhen
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1944.14
On View Location
Freer Gallery 13: Looking Out, Looking In: Art in Late Imperial China
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Base for bowl

Keywords
China, Jingdezhen ware, porcelain, Qianlong reign (1736 - 1796), Qing dynasty (1644 - 1911)
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Description

Polychrome.
Body: fine-grained white porcelain.
Glaze: on bowl, pure white; on base, celadon.
Decorated with overglaze enamels.
Six-character seal mark of the Qianlong period in underglaze blue on foot of stem.

Marking(s)

Six character seal mark of the Ch'ien Lung period in underglaze blue on foot of stem.

Label

Technical virtuosity is displayed in the ingenious shapes and dazzling ornamentation of eighteenth-century imperial porcelains from Jingdezhen. By the Song dynasty (960-1279), if not earlier, it was customary to display some ceramic vessels on lacquer or porcelain stands to elevate them and set them above the mundane. In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries some vases were made with nondetachable ceramic stands, which provided a model for this court porcelain. The daring combination of a pale celadon glaze for the stand with bright overglaze enamel decoration reflects the two sides of Qing imperial taste: revival of Song dynasty elegance and outright flamboyance.

Published References
  • Yang Enlin. Chinesische Porzellanmalerei im 17. und 18. Jahrhundert. Munich. ill. 81.
Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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