Bowl

Accession Number
1982/1.214

Title
Bowl

Artist(s)
Chinese

Artist Nationality
Chinese (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
1662-1722

Medium & Support
porcelain with underglaze, and glaze

Dimensions
3 7/16 in x 8 1/8 in x 8 1/8 in (8.8 cm x 20.6 cm x 20.6 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of the Estate of Hobart Taylor, Jr.

Subject matter
A qinghua (清华) blue and white bowl of the Kangxi period (1662-1722).

Kangxi, the second emperor of the Manchurian Qing dynasty, took the throne at the age of eight and ruled for a total of sixty-one years, the longest of any Chinese emperor. Being a foreign ruler in China, he assimilated by learning Chinese, becoming Buddhist, and studied the Classics to to gain public support. He accomplished many great feasts such as completing the unification of China, improved government administration, decreased corruption, and of most importance to the production of porcelain, he reinstated the official kilns at Jingdezhen and opened the overseas trade. During Kangxi’s reign (1662-1722) there were many advancements to porcelain manufacture and the introduction of many new types and forms. Kangxi achieved this by appointing two different kiln supervisors during his tenure, Zang Yingxuan and Lang Tingji who are the names behind Zang yao (ware) and Lang  yao (ware), respectively. Other types discovered and produced during this time include but are not limited to various refined monochromatic and copper red glazes, including Lang yaosang de boeuf—and peach-bloom, underglaze blue in five colors, the powder colors, famille vertebisquitfencai, and enameled color, falangcai. Porcelains produced under the Kangxi reign appealed to both to the of Chinese society, as well as, those overseas. 

Physical Description
A porcelain fluted bowl with a scalloped rim on a foot ring. The exterior is painted with fish and aquatic plants, the interior rim is painted with a zigzag border. The bowl is covered with a clear glaze.

Primary Object Classification
Ceramic

Primary Object Type
bowl

Collection Area
Asian

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form. Keywords
blue-and-white (ceramic glaze)
bowls (vessels)
ceramic (material)
ceramics (object genre)
cobalt (mineral)
cobalt blue (pigment)
fish (animals)
floral patterns
nonwoody plants
porcelain (visual works)

3 Related Resources

Cobalt & Blue
(Part of: Exchange and Influence on Global Trade Routes)
Cabinet M: Shelf 3
(Part of: Albertine Monroe-Brown Study-Storage Gallery)

& Author Notes

Web Use Permitted

On display

UMMA Gallery Location ➜ AMH, 2nd floor ➜ 205 (Albertine Monroe-Brown Study-Storage Gallery) ➜ Cabinet M ➜ Shelf 3