Bowl

1522-1566

Sixteenth-century porcelain often conveys auspicious messages. The three goats (yang) and the Three Friends of the Cold Season (pine, blossoming plum, and bamboo) all carry a message of renewal appropriate to the beginning of the new year. Winter ends and spring arrives; yin is on the wane and yang is on the rise, heralding the rebirth of nature.
In the sixteenth century, the imperial court placed massive orders. More than six hundred thousand porcelains were made at Jingdezhen for use by the court during the forty-four years of the Jiajing reign.

Porcelain with underglaze-blue decoration Jingdezhen ware (porcelain painted in underglaze cobalt blue)

4 1/4 in. (10.8 cm), height

6 3/8 in. (16.2 cm), diameter

Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection

48.163

Not currently on view

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, "Conceal/Reveal," December 20, 2014 - June 21, 2015

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, "Glaze, Pattern and Image: Decoration in Chinese Ceramics", September 7, 2002 - November 19, 2002

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, "Porcelain Stories: From China to Europe", February 17, 2000-May 7, 2000 (2/17/2000 - 5/7/2000)

Published ReferencesEmerson, Julie, Jennifer Chen, & Mimi Gardner Gates, "Porcelain Stories, From China to Europe", Seattle Art Museum, 2000, pg. 66

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