Octagonal Bowl
ca. 1755
A boy emerging from a large ceramic jar is the central theme of a popular Japanese Kakiemon scene copied at Meissen and Chelsea. The intermingling of East and West is visible in the Japanese Kakiemon form, motif, and palette of this European porcelain bowl, which illustrates a Chinese folktale.
The Chinese story depicts a heroic act by the young Sima Guang (1019-1086), who became a great Song dynasty scholar and statesman. He is depicted on the left, casting stones at a water jar in which a young boy has become stuck and is drowning. Once the jar has been smashed, water gushes forth, and a friend assists in the rescue. Pictorial representation of the story had already appeared in Sima Guang's lifetime.
Soft paste porcelain
3 5/8 in. (9.2 cm), height
9 in. (22.9 cm), diameter
Gift of Martha and Henry Isaacson
69.165
Provenance: Collection of Mr and Mrs Henry and Martha Isaacson, unknown purchase date until December 1969; gift from Mr and Mrs Henry and Martha Isaacson to Seattle Art Museum, Washington, 1969
Photo: Paul Macapia