Chinese Blue and White Bowl, Ming (1368-1644)

Ref: W392

Archive item - not for sale

Chinese blue and white bowl, Ming (1368-1644), decorated with six roundels containing galloping horses, a scrolling floral band of lotus to the rim and lotus-styled lappets to the footrim, the interior with a central roundel containing a peony head amidst leaves and scrolling clouds, Fu Gui Chang Chun mark to the base (may wealth and prosperity remain with you in all seasons).

Dimensions:

Diameter: 27cm. (10 2/3in.); height: 11.5cm. (4 1/2in.)

Condition:

Rim has two small chips and two haircracks (one issuing from a firecrack, the other 12cm. long with small missing area), all neatly restored and sealed

Notes:

As the organisation of production at Jingdezhen rapidly changed from the mid sixteenth century to the Wanli (1572-1620), supplies from Ma’an Shan in north west Jiangxi were disrupted. Consequently, potters during this period utilised the resources available to them, including less refined clay which results in irregular shaping. The seventh animal of the Chinese zodiac and symbol of strength and speed, the horse was an important part of Chinese mythology and culture during the Tang dynasty (618-906 AD), during which time pottery models of horses were frequently included in high-ranking burials. This tradition continued into the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), but the type of horse depicted on ceramics gradually shifted as over time the imported thoroughbreds from central Asia popular in previous decades came to be replaced by smaller, hardier Manchurian ponies.