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Covered bowl with design of dragons
Covered bowl with design of dragons

Covered bowl with design of dragons

Place of OriginJingdezhen, Jiangxi province, China; Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province
Date1723-1735
DynastyQing dynasty (1644-1911), Reign of the Yongzheng emperor (1723-1735)
MaterialsPorcelain with underglaze blue and overglaze multicolor
DimensionsH. 5 1/2 in x Diam. 8 in, H. 14 cm x Diam. 20.3 cm
Credit LineThe Avery Brundage Collection
Object numberB60P2109.a-.b
DepartmentChinese Art
ClassificationsCeramics
On View
On view
Location
  • Gallery Location   Loggia 6
MarkingsYongzheng mark, underglaze blue six-character mark in two columns
Text Entries

Underglaze Red and Underglaze Blue, with Overglaze Multicolor Decoration

Just as cobalt was used to achieve underglaze blue decorations, copper was fired to achieve a red color. In the 1700s, ceramics decorated with what was considered to be the best red—a clear, bright shade of the color— were made at the imperially supervised kilns.

This case displays the combination of underglaze and overglaze decoration used in the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1911) dynasties known as the doucai (“competing colors”) technique, in which blue underglaze outlines are filled in with overglaze multicolor enamels.