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Bowl

Xuande era, 1426-1435

China, Jiangxi Province

Porcelain painted with underglaze cobalt blue (Jingdezhen ware)

H. 4 3/8 x Diam. 12 in. (11.1 x 30.5 cm)

Asia Society, New York: Estate of Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller, 1993.5

Provenance

John D. Rockefeller 3rd, New York, NY; acquired from acquired from Spink & Son Ltd., London, 1968.

The Asia Society, New York, NY, bequest of Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller, New York, NY, 1994.

Licensing inquiries

The imagery painted on the side of this large, shallow bowl is an example of the Xuande-era development of themes that reflect the interests of the scholar-gentleman class. Because pine, plum, and bamboo, the elements that make up the decoration of this bowl, flourish even under adverse conditions, they are grouped together as the Three Friends of Winter, symbols of the upstanding character of a scholar-gentleman when faced with hardship. The grouping also has seasonal overtones, as the blossoming plum and green bamboo are among the first plants to bud when winter, marked by the evergreen pine, turns to spring. The six-character Xuande reign mark is written on the exterior just below the rim.