Catalogue No.: 383

Period: Ming Dynasty

Collection Name: Ming Xuande Blue and White Chicken Heart Bowl

Specifications: Height 10, Caliber 20.8

Starting Bid: 250000

Mark: “Made in the Xuande Reign of the Great Ming Dynasty” in regular script within a double circle.This item is a representative masterpiece of blue and white porcelain from the Imperial Kiln of the Xuande period of the Ming Dynasty, and is quite rare in existence. The glaze is warm and lustrous, with a bluish tint over white. The body is uniform and fine, and the decoration is robust and ornate, with distinct layers, complex yet orderly, and fluid, dynamic lines. The shape is exquisite and elegant, and the blue and white color is vibrant. Xuande blue and white porcelain from the Ming Dynasty holds an extremely high status in the history of Chinese ceramics, renowned worldwide for its antique and elegant form, jade-like lustrous glaze, and diverse and lively decorations. It is praised as “ushering in an unprecedented wonder.” The 'Jingdezhen Taolu' (Records of Ceramics in Jingdezhen) commented on Xuande porcelain: “All materials are refined, but blue and white is the most precious.” Xu Ziheng’s 'Yinliu Zhai Shuo Ci' (Discourse on Porcelain from the Yinliu Studio) records: “The beauty of Xuanyao (Xuande kilns) was unsurpassed in the Ming Dynasty; not only were Xuande red and Xuande yellow brilliant, but blue and white, wucai, and various other wares also saw numerous inventions, all serving as progenitors for later generations…”
This bowl is one of the most distinctive varieties of Yongle and Xuande blue and white porcelain of its era. This piece is identical to a specimen held in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei (see 'Catalogue of the Special Exhibition of Select Ming Dynasty Xuande Imperial Ware,' pp. 364, 365, fig. 155). The Palace Museum, Beijing, also has an identical piece in its collection (see 'Compendium of Cultural Relics in the Collection of the Palace Museum – Blue and White and Underglaze Red,' Vol. 1, p. 162, fig. 154). The rim is decorated with blue and white waves and meander patterns on both the inside and outside. The inner wall is painted with scrolling floral motifs and sprigs of fruit. The outer wall is adorned with large lotus petal patterns. The footrim is decorated with two blue and white lines, and the inside of the ring foot bears the standard Xuande six-character blue and white regular script official mark, whose calligraphy possesses the charm of small regular script from the Jin and Tang dynasties, fully showcasing the exquisite beauty of Xuande blue and white porcelain.
References: 'Catalogue of the Special Exhibition of Select Ming Dynasty Xuande Imperial Ware,' National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1998, pp. 364, 365, fig. 155;
'Compendium of Cultural Relics in the Collection of the Palace Museum – Blue and White and Underglaze Red' (Vol. 1), Shanghai Science and Technology Press, Commercial Press (Hong Kong) Limited, 2000, p. 162, fig. 154. References: Beijing Zhonghan, Autumn Auction 2014, Ming Xuande Blue and White 'Chrysanthemum Petal' Bowl with Scrolling Floral Design to the Interior, LOT 1169. References: Christie's Hong Kong, May 29, 2007, LOT 1356. Note: Repaired.