underglaze blue and an early 18th-century decoration in enamel colours applied in Delft
Dynasty
Qianlong
Country
China (Henan)
Period
circa 1550; over-decorated in the early 18th century
Dimensions
height 15,6 cm, diameter 37,5 cm
Inscription/marks
six-character mark of the Ming emperor Jiajing (1522-1566) in a double circle
Institution
Groninger Museum
Description
Large bowl with spreading sides. Decorated in underglaze blue. The exterior with lotus scrolls and blossoms, the centre with a blossoming lotus plant. On the base the six-character mark of the Ming emperor Jiajing (1522-1566) in a double circle.
Detailed description
This blue Ming bowl was over-decorated with enamel colours in Delft in the early 18th century. Leaves and blossoms have been added to the lotus scrolls; the originally undecorated interior was decorated with four large panels with a flower basket and four smaller panels with houses and fishermen on a ground of leafwork. In the Netherlands, such over-decorated Oriental porcelain is called Amsterdams Bont (Clobbered ware).
Over-decorating with enamel colours occurred frequently in the 18th century, either on completely undecorated porcelain imported from China and Japan specifically for this purpose, or on porcelain with an existing underglaze-blue decoration. The over-decorated objects were fired at a low temperature in Delft or in one of the many earthenware factories elsewhere in Holland.
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