Blue and White Bowl with a Fish in a Lotus Pond, Yuan Dynasty

PP-0140

Description

A blue and white porcelain bowl with deep rounded sides rising to a flared rim, on a straight foot. The outside is painted with a continuous pond scene: a large fish with a spotted body and spiny fins swims among lotus flowers and broad lotus leaves, feathery water weeds, clusters of floating leaves and small star-shaped sprays. Two blue lines run below the rim and a single line above the foot. The blue is bright and fairly deep, with darker touches in the fins and weeds, and the interior is plain white.

The glaze shows a fine crackle. The base is unglazed inside the foot ring, showing a pale body with an orange tinge. There is a small chip, shown in the photographs. More on the period is in our guide to Yuan blue and white porcelain.