Page 91 - Decorative Arts, Part II: Far Eastern Ceramics and Paintings, Persian and Indian Rugs and Carpets

1942.9-483 (C-336)

Covered Bowl

Qing dynasty, Kangxi mark and period (1662-1722)
5
Porcelain with pale blue glaze, 9.8 x 9.2 (3% x 3 /s)
Widener Collection
foot-ring and reignmark
on base of 1942.9.483

INSCRIPTIONS
Inscribed in standard script on the base in underglaze blue in pleasure enhanced by the exceptionally refined surface of
two vertical lines of three characters each: Da Qing Kangxi nian the unglazed portions, which almost equals the glazed
zhi [made in the Kangxi reign of the great Qing dynasty] areas in smoothness. With its rounded contour and pro-
file, this cup also recalls the short-necked "apple-shaped"
TECHNICAL NOTES (pingguozun) water pot (1942.9.481-482,490-491); indeed
The pale blue glaze is evenly distributed over the vessel except it actually looks more "applelike" than these water pots.
where it has pooled, creating darker bands. These areas are at the
base of the knob and just above the foot. The interiors of the lid With its lid secured flush to the receptacle through an
and bowl are much paler. There is one particularly noticeable inset flange, this covered bowl bears less resemblance to
pinhole in the glaze on the lid exterior, and there are some small- the typically covered beverage container, whose lid
er interior pinholes and black spots. The unglazed paste of the extends over the body, than to containers usually
foot-ring and interior flanges is very smooth. A rusty orange described as holding toiletries or tea. Interestingly, certain
residue appears on the unglazed flanges of the lid and bowl, and very late (eighteenth- to twentieth-century) Nonya-ware
is slightly visible from the exterior when the lid is on. Although (a Jingdezhen ware decorated to Southeast Asian taste for
the cover shifts slightly when the vessel is moved, the flanged export) covered bowls, described as "miniature potiches"
construction of the bowl ensures stability. for toiletries, appear to be descendants of this covered
bowl, though they are much more coarsely made and have
PROVENANCE a somewhat more ovoid silhouette with a more pointed
Henry Sampson [1838-1914]. (Gorer, London); sold 1913 to 1
(Dreicer & Co., New York, agents of Gorer, London); sold 1915 lotus bud knob. Among Kangxi-marked and -attributed
to Peter A. B. Widener, Lynnewood Hall, Elkins Park, wares, no other covered bowl of exactly this type has yet
Pennsylvania; inheritance from Estate of Peter A. B. Widener by been located. Similar gracefully curved buttonlike knobs
gift through power of appointment of Joseph E. Widener, can be seen on other Kangxi-attributed vessels, such as
Elkins Park, Pennsylvania. two covered blue-and-white jugs in the Frick Collection,
New York. 2 Less everted, thicker-stemmed knobs appear
on some Yongzheng vessels in the Palace Museum in
HE NATIONAL GALLERY COLLECTION of pale blue Taiwan, and more bulbous versions of these knobs appear
Tmonochromes encompasses a broad range of ves- on some vessels dated to Qianlong, also in that collection. 3
sels, from relatively common forms shared with the VB
peachbloom monochromes (water pots, brush washers,
and amphora vases) to some more unusual ones, such as NOTES
the vases of meiping, gourd, or bottle shape, and this 1. Willets and Poh 1981, 47, no. C3i, repro., 115, no. 168, repro.
exquisite covered bowl. 2. Pope 1974, 26-27, nos. 65.8.193 and 65.8.194, repro.
In the superior potting of the highly refined body, the
assurance of the reignmark's calligraphy, the luminosity 3. Tsai 1986,54, no. 29, repro., 78, no. 58, repro. (Yongzheng), 92,
and control of the glaze, and the elegance of form, this no. 74, repro., 158, no. 143, repro.
covered bowl epitomizes all that is best in Kangxi pale
blue monochromes. The softly rounded knob adorning
the cover cleverly echoes the smooth curve of the vessel
itself, a line uninterrupted even though composed of two
parts. If anything, the two-part construction enhances the
appeal, as in the peachbloom covered boxes for seal paste
(1942.9.506-510, 523, 524, 531). Immense tactile pleasure following page: Qing Dynasty, Kangxi mark and period
can be had in simply opening and closing this vessel, a (1662-1722), Covered Bowl, 1942.9.483

P O R C E L A I N S 75