Underglaze Red Kendi with Fish among Water Plants, Ming Dynasty

PP-0134

Description

A porcelain kendi with a squat rounded body, a large bulbous spout on one side and a tall waisted neck rising to a flat, flanged rim around a small mouth. It is painted in underglaze copper red, which ranges from pale pink to a deep brownish red. The body shows large fish with netted scales swimming among tall water weeds and scattered blossoms. The spout is covered with flower sprays and leaves, the neck carries upright water plants above a band of petal panels at the shoulder, and the top of the flange is painted with a radiating whorl.

The white glaze runs over the recessed base, which is painted in red with a conch shell, set within a band of scrolls and radiating leaves on the lower body. The kendi is attributed to the middle to late Ming, possibly the Southern Ming.