COLLECTION NAME:
The AMICA Library
mediaCollectionId
AMICO~1~1
The AMICA Library
Collection
true
AMICA ID:
ASIA.1979.175
amicoid
ASIA.1979.175
AMICA ID
false
AMICA Library Year:
1998
aly
1998
AMICA Library Year
false
Object Type:
Decorative Arts and Utilitarian Objects
oty
Decorative Arts and Utilitarian Objects
Object Type
false
Creator Nationality:
Asian; Far East Asian; Chinese
crc
Asian; Far East Asian; Chinese
Creator Nationality
false
Creator Name-CRT:
Chinese
crt
Chinese
Creator Name-CRT
false
Title:
Wine Cup
otn
Wine Cup
Title
false
View:
Full view
rid
Full view
View
false
Creation Date:
Ming period, Chenghua era, 1465-1487
oct
Ming period, Chenghua era, 1465-1487
Creation Date
false
Creation Start Date:
1465
ocs
1465
Creation Start Date
false
Creation End Date:
1487
oce
1487
Creation End Date
false
Materials and Techniques:
Porcelain painted with underglaze cobalt blue and overglaze enamels (Jingdezhen ware)
omd
Porcelain painted with underglaze cobalt blue and overglaze enamels (Jingdezhen ware)
Materials and Techniques
false
Classification Term:
Ceramics
clt
Ceramics
Classification Term
false
Creation Place:
China, Jiangxi Province
ocp
China, Jiangxi Province
Creation Place
false
Dimensions:
H. 1 7/8 in. (4.8 cm); D. 2 7/8 in. (7.3 cm)
met
H. 1 7/8 in. (4.8 cm); D. 2 7/8 in. (7.3 cm)
Dimensions
false
AMICA Contributor:
Asia Society
oon
Asia Society
AMICA Contributor
false
Owner Location:
New York, New York, USA
oop
New York, New York, USA
Owner Location
false
ID Number:
1979.175
ooa
1979.175
ID Number
false
Credit Line:
Asia Society: The Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection
ooc
Asia Society: The Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection
Credit Line
false
Rights:
orl
<a href="http://www.asiasociety.org"target="_new">http://www.asiasociety.org</a>
Rights
false
Context:
Noted for their refined bodies and elegant shapes, porcelains made during the reigns of the Xuande (1426-1435) and Chenghua (1465-1487) emperors of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) are ranked among the finest examples of imperial Chinese wares. Many of the characteristics of 15th-century porcelains result from increased imperial interest in ceramics. Ceramic production during this time--which was the near-exclusive domain of the imperial Jingdezhen kilns in Jiangxi Province--is noted for the development and refinement of techniques for making and decorating wares, experimentation with shapes and designs, and the widespread use of reign marks (inscriptions that identify the name of the dynasty and the reign name of an emperor).
The use of the doucai ("joined colors") technique to decorate this small wine cup with a design of dragons in floral medallions illustrates technology developed in the Xuande era and continued in the Chenghua. In the doucai method, the outline of a design is drawn under the glaze using cobalt blue. The vessel is then fired, and enamels are carefully painted over the glaze to color in and finish the designs. A second, lower temperature firing then fixes the enamels. On this cup, delicate shades of blue, green, red, and yellow have been used to paint the dragons, flowers, and leaves. The overglaze colors match the underglaze outlines perfectly; the precision needed for this type of decoration made them very difficult and expensive to produce. Most ceramics decorated in the doucai method are small, perhaps owing to their costliness.
Since most examples of ceramics using this complicated technique date to the Chenghua era, doucai was formerly believed to have been invented then. The discoveries in a Tibetan monastery and in excavations at Jingdezhen of doucai pieces with Xuande-era reign marks provide evidence, however, that this technique must have originated earlier. Still, the large number of pieces made with this technique during the Chenghua era attest to its importance then. Some scholars have suggested that it may reflect the taste of the emperor's favorite concubine, Wan Guifei, who is thought to have been involved with the production at Jingdezhen.
cxd
Noted for their refined bodies and elegant shapes, porcelains made during the reigns of the Xuande (1426-1435) and Chenghua (1465-1487) emperors of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) are ranked among the finest examples of imperial Chinese wares. Many of the characteristics of 15th-century porcelains result from increased imperial interest in ceramics. Ceramic production during this time--which was the near-exclusive domain of the imperial Jingdezhen kilns in Jiangxi Province--is noted for the development and refinement of techniques for making and decorating wares, experimentation with shapes and designs, and the widespread use of reign marks (inscriptions that identify the name of the dynasty and the reign name of an emperor).<P>The use of the <I>doucai</I> ("joined colors") technique to decorate this small wine cup with a design of dragons in floral medallions illustrates technology developed in the Xuande era and continued in the Chenghua. In the <I>doucai</I> method, the outline of a design is drawn under the glaze using cobalt blue. The vessel is then fired, and enamels are carefully painted over the glaze to color in and finish the designs. A second, lower temperature firing then fixes the enamels. On this cup, delicate shades of blue, green, red, and yellow have been used to paint the dragons, flowers, and leaves. The overglaze colors match the underglaze outlines perfectly; the precision needed for this type of decoration made them very difficult and expensive to produce. Most ceramics decorated in the <I>doucai</I> method are small, perhaps owing to their costliness.</P><P>Since most examples of ceramics using this complicated technique date to the Chenghua era, <I>doucai</I> was formerly believed to have been invented then. The discoveries in a Tibetan monastery and in excavations at Jingdezhen of <I>doucai</I> pieces with Xuande-era reign marks provide evidence, however, that this technique must have originated earlier. Still, the large number of pieces made with this technique during the Chenghua era attest to its importance then. Some scholars have suggested that it may reflect the taste of the emperor's favorite concubine, Wan Guifei, who is thought to have been involved with the production at Jingdezhen.</P>
Context
false
Related Document Description:
Asia Society. Handbook of the Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection. New York: Asia Society, [1981], p. 78.
rdd
Asia Society. <I>Handbook of the Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection.</I> New York: Asia Society, [1981], p. 78.
Related Document Description
false
Related Document Description:
Lee, Sherman E. Asian Art: Selections from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd. New York: Asia Society, 1970, pp. 69, 75.
rdd
Lee, Sherman E. <I>Asian Art: Selections from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd.</I> New York: Asia Society, 1970, pp. 69, 75.
Related Document Description
false
Related Document Description:
Sotheby and Co. Chinese Ceramics (auction, London, March 24, 1953).
rdd
Sotheby and Co. <I>Chinese Ceramics</I> (auction, London, March 24, 1953).
Related Document Description
false
Related Document Description:
Sotheby and Co. Chinese Ceramics (auction, London, May 17, 1966), lot 12.
rdd
Sotheby and Co. <I>Chinese Ceramics</I> (auction, London, May 17, 1966), lot 12.
Related Document Description
false
Related Document Description:
Valenstein, Suzanne G. Ming Porcelains: A Retrospective. New York: China House Gallery/China Institute in America, 1970, p. 53.
rdd
Valenstein, Suzanne G. <I>Ming Porcelains: A Retrospective.</I> New York: China House Gallery/China Institute in America, 1970, p. 53.
Related Document Description
false
Related Image Identifier Link:
ASIA.1979.175.a.tif
ril
ASIA.1979.175.a.tif
Related Image Identifier Link
false