This delightful bowl is a Jizhou bowl  from the Yonghe kiln, Jian, Jiangsu province. It is decorated with the classic pattern of prunus with moon and clouds.

The bowl was first covered in a brown  slip-glaze, just stopping above the foot. A dark glaze almost covers this brown layer. Both probably applied by dipping it in the glaze.  The decoration is painted in buff brushstrokes, with a masterful hand.  Probably using a paste of ash, water, and maybe some slip.

The plum blossoms in February, and was the most loved blossom in China. The blossom lit by moonlight theme appears for the first time in the Southern Song dynasty. The best way to view the blossoms according to the Chinese literati.

The bowl measures 12,8 cm across and stands 4 cm high. The glaze is matt, and covered in an intricate pattern of small scratches. The Southern Song dynasty was from 1127-1279 AD, according to some these bowls can be made in to the Yuan dynasty .

Interesting read on the subject; Hare’s Fur, Tortoiseshell, and Partridge Feathers by Robert D. Mowry. With a good match to this bowl from the Harvard University Museums.

collection-nr 08-2012