Dish with Carved Floral Design

1100s–1200s

South China, Southern Song dynasty

(1127–1279)

Medium

Porcelain with pale bluish-white (qingbai) glaze

Measurements

Overall: 4.5 x 18 cm (1 3/4 x 7 1/16 in.)

Credit Line

Nancy F. and Joseph P. Keithley Collection Gift 2020.183

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Location

Not on view

Did You Know?

Never intended for imperial use, qingbai ware was among the first mass-produced porcelain types and became a popular export.

Description

This shallow and wide bowl and the conical one (CMA 2020.182) are both hand-incised with decoration suggesting waves, clouds, or floral sprays. All of these motifs had auspicious meaning: waves and clouds bring rain that fertilizes the fields, and flowers and plants were often associated with the beauty of human virtues. The carved and combed designs were swiftly cut with a wooden tool into the unfired leather-hard body before glazing. Once the glaze was applied, it pooled in the incised areas rendering the design more visible.