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| Bowl |
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| China, Jiangxi Province; Ming period (1368-1644), Xuande era, 1426 - 1435 |
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| Porcelain with incised design under glaze cobalt blue (Jingdezhen ware) |
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| H. 4 3/8 in. (11.1 cm); D. 12 in. (30.5 cm) |
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| Estate of Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller |
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| 1993.005 |
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| 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. |
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