Bowl with hollyhock scrolls decoration in underglaze blue, Ming dynasty, Chenghua reign (1465-1487)

Bowl with hollyhock scrolls decoration in underglaze blue, Ming dynasty, Chenghua reign (1465-1487)

• Image Number: K1B006758N000000000PAB
• Dynasty: Ming dynasty
• Category: Ceramics
• Function: Container
• Material: Mineral/ceramic/porcelain
• Description:
  Low mouth, deep arc wall, short circle foot. On the inner and outer walls of the utensil are painted a rotating branch okra, while in the center of the bowl is painted a sunflower petal flower, with a double green circle. The fetal bone is thin, white and fine, and the white ground is slightly yellow. The blue and white book “made in Chenghua year of the Ming Dynasty” is in regular script with two lines and six characters, plus double circles. This bowl of blue and white porcelain has a distinctive style. It is a typical Chenghua “Equal Green” cobalt material, also known as “Potang Green”. It is produced in Leping, Jiangxi Province. It is uniform and elegant in color, with gray in the blue. The painting adopts double hook line drawing and one stroke daubing technique, which is quite different from the subtle and delicate point dyeing of Yongle and Xuande in Ming Dynasty. Okra is a symbol of flowers in the four seasons and autumn, which implies smoothness and auspiciousness. It is often used as a theme in Ming Dynasty crafts such as porcelain and lacquerware, or in paintings.