1600AD Ming Dynasty China Hand Painted Famille Rose Porcelain Scalloped Bowl

  

Very Nicely Preserved, Very Beautiful, Genuine 16th-17th Century Ming Dynasty Chinese Famille Rose Porcelain Bowl. Perfect as a Candy or Potpourri Bowl for Work or Home. CLASSIFICATION : Famille Rose Style Porcelain Bowl.

ATTRIBUTION : Ancient China, Ming Dynasty, Between 1500 and 1600 A. Diameter: 125 millimeters (5 inches) at top rim; 68 millimeters (2 2/3 inches) at base. Height: 42 millimeters (1 2/3 inches). A little wear consistent with any household item which is between four and five centuries in age.

A few of the customary, almost obligatory rim chips (one small, one tiny). The typical blemishes of hand production (warts and dimples, zits and pits). Not flawless, but certainly in an excellent state of preservation.

DETAIL : A splendidly preserved scalloped famille rose porcelain bowl so wonderfully characteristic of the very popular export Ming and Qing Dynasty porcelain china. The particular style was extremely popular both in England and Europe throughout the 16th to 19th centuries, as well as in the USA during the 1800s.

This piece is a wonderful example of this very famous produce. The glaze is entirely intact, vibrantly colored, and the condition of the plate is wonderful! As you can see, the bowl not only has a delightful hand-painted floral design on the outside surface of the bowl, the inside sports a gorgeous and thick green porcelain glaze. If you look closely at the pictures here, you will see that there are a few very small rim chips.

One of them is very tiny and requires a lot of searching to find it even if you know it is there. It is a very tiny chip on the outside of the rim. There is a somewhat larger, though still quite small rim chip on the inside of the rim.

These fine little rim chips are not only common in ancient porcelain, theyre almost obligatory. A bowl five centuries old without any such blemishes would almost be suspect outside of a museum. Of course the little porcelain chips are as much indications of the age of the piece as they are a detriment. There are as well of course a few minor scuffs, marks, dings, etc.

All virtually undetectable, and of course, entirely normal for a bowl 400 or 500 years old. This is as good as one can reasonably expect of a household artifact which was originally produced in the 1500s or 1600s. Its not perfect, but it is about as close to perfect as you will ordinarily find of an authentic antique porcelain plate like this, and there are no repairs.

Of course realistically one would expect some blemishes of a porcelain plate produced four or five hundred years ago (you and I should look so good four or five centuries after being "born"), so there are no surprises here except that there are so few blemishes. There are a few production blemishes, quite typical of hand-crafted porcelain of the late Ming/early Qing Dynasties, an assortment of warts, dimples, pits, and zits.

Overall it is an exceptionally attractive piece, and extraordinarily well preserved specimen of the ancient Chinese art of pottery. If youd like an authentic antique, colorful plate from the 16th or 17th century Ming Dynasty to proudly display, you could not go wrong with this one. It is solidly shaped, nicely featured, and nicely proportioned. It would make a unique candy or change dish. You could display this one with great pride either at work on your desk or at home.

Either way, it will certainly generate curiosity and perhaps even a little envy! We can even include wrapped decorative candy and/or potpourri upon request so the piece is ready for display or gift giving right out of the box! The Ming period is famous for its decorative arts. Ceramic production increased dramatically, and foreign markets expanded greatly as underglaze blue and red porcelain became increasingly popular for export. In addition, enameling was introduced.

A double-fire process was discovered by which an object was first fired at the high temperature needed for porcelain, then painted with the desired colors, such as green, yellow, or purple, and fired a second time. This invention allowed for an almost infinite variety of bright colors to decorate the finest Chinese ceramics. Many new styles appeared, such as the famille wares, which were especially popular in the European markets. In the later half of the Ming dynasty, European traders established direct contact with China and stimulated the ever-growing ceramics market to produce objects with new shapes and designs. Perhaps the most famous type of ceramics made during this period are the (cobalt) blue and white porcelains.

These were white porcelain bodies painted with underglaze blue and then covered with a transparent glaze before firing. Not only produced in vast quantities for imperial use, they were also exported as far as Turkey. While styles of decorative motif and vessel shape changed with each new Ming emperor, the quality of Ming blue and whites are indisputably superior to that of any other time period.

Throughout the Ming dynasty, the dragon (representing the male) and the phoenix (representing the female or dragons bride) were the most popular decorative motifs on ceramic wares. The production of sancai (three-color) porcelain was also of remarkable quality, especially of human and animal figures, and such pieces remain much sought after even to present time. Was founded when a Han Chinese peasant and former Buddhist monk turned rebel army leader and overthrew the Mongol Yuan Dynasty.

In two purges approximately 10,000 scholars, administrators, and bureaucrats and their families were put to death in an attempt to stabilize the political situation and extinguish the Mongol influence any possible dissent was exterminated. Imperial power was reasserted throughout China and East Asia, and the former Mongol civil government was reestablished Chinese. Literature was patronized, schools were founded, and the administration of justice was reformed. The Great Wall was extended and the Grand Canal improved. The empire was divided into 15 provinces, most of which still bear their original names.

With its first (Southern) capital at Nanjing, and a subsequent (Northern) capital at Beijing, the Ming reached the zenith of power during the first quarter of the fifteenth century. The Ming had inherited the worlds most powerful maritime force, and China was at the time the world leader in science and technology. However in an attempt to extinguish the memory of Mongol rule, the Ming rejected all foreign influences.

Given the stability of the period, it was not difficult to promote a belief that the Chinese had achieved the most satisfactory civilization on earth and that nothing foreign was needed or welcome. For the population of 100 million, there were no disruptions and prolonged stability of the economy, arts, society, and politics. Finding the concept of expansion and commercial ventures alien to Chinese ideas of government, Conservative Confucian bureaucrats and administrators pressed for a revival of a strict agrarian society.

The Chinese emperor forbade overseas travels and stopped all building and repair of oceangoing junks. Disobedient merchants and sailors were killed, and the greatest navy of the world willed itself into extinction. Consequences of this isolationist conservatism included protracted struggles against the Mongols, Japanese pirates ravaging the coast of China, incursions by the Japanese into Korea, and eventually the weakening of the Ming Dynasty. The quality of imperial leadership deteriorated, and court eunuchs came to exercise great control over the emperor, fostering discontent and factionalism in the government. Ripe for a takeover, China again fell to alien forces when in 1644 A. The Manchus took Beijing and became masters of North China, establishing the last Chinese Imperial Dynasty, The Qing. HISTORY OF CHINESE EARTHENWARE : The first Chinese ceramics archaeologists have found date back more than 10,000 years.

These were earthenware, which means they were made from clay and fired at the kind of low temperatures reached by a wood fire or simple oven. In China, most ceramics made before the Tang dynasty 600 A. They may be glazed or unglazed, and are occasionally painted, often brightly colored. Stoneware ceramics are harder and less porous than earthenware and are fired at hotter temperaturesbetween 2100°F and 2400°F. At these high temperatures, the surface of the clay melts and becomes glassy.

Although stoneware is usually waterproof, most stoneware ceramics are glazed for decoration. The glazes often contain ash, which allows the glaze to harden at stoneware temperatures. Bronze metallurgy superceded ceramics as the favored art form of the ruling class. However both the ceramic and the bronze industries evolved into complex systems of production that were supported by the aristocracy.

Decorative designs rich in symbolism were created first in bronze were then imitated in clay. Although archaeological finds have revealed that glazed pottery was produced as early as 1100 B. During the Zhou dynasty, the production of glazed wares was not common until about 200 B. However from about 1000 B. Onwards during the Shang and Zhou dynasties, primitive porcelain wares emerged. Real porcelain wares appeared in the Han dynasty around 200 A. In the process of porcelain development, different styles in different periods blossomed. The production of porcelain became widespread by about 500 A. Using a special clay with ground rock containing feldspar, a glassy mineral, the material was fired at very high temperatures above 2400°F.

The surface of the clay melts at such high temperatures and becomes smooth as glass. Early porcelains were undecorated and were used by the Imperial court and exported as far as the Middle East. For instance during the Han Dynasty principally celadon (green) and black porcelain were mainly produced.

The famous blue and white porcelain was created with blue paint made from cobalt and then covered with a clear glaze, which can withstand the high temperatures of the kiln. The technical and creative innovations of Chinese potters are unique accomplishments in the cultural heritage of the world. Today, archaeological excavation and research in China are revealing new sites and new examples of the genius of the Chinese potter. HISTORY OF CHINESE CIVILIZATION : Remains of Homo erectus , found near Beijing, have been dated back 460,000 years.

Recent archaeological studies in the Yangtse River area have provided evidence of ancient cultures (and rice cultivation) flourishing more than 11,500 years ago, contrary to the conventional belief that the Yellow River area was the cradle of the Chinese civilization. The Neolithic period flourished with a multiplicity of cultures in different regions dating back to around 5000 B. Written records go back more than 3,500 years, and the written history is (as is the case with Ancient Egypt) divided into dynasties, families of kings or emperors.

The voluminous records kept by the ancient Chinese provide us with knowledge into their strong sense of their real and mythological origins as well as of their neighbors. The Chinese knew how to cultivate and weave silk and were trading the luxurious fabric with other nations by about 1000 B. The production and value of silk tell much about the advanced state of early Chinese civilization.

Cultivation of silkworms required mulberry tree orchards, temperature controls and periodic feedings around the clock. More than 2,000 silkworms were required to produce one pound of silk. The Chinese also mastered spinning, dyeing and weaving silk threads into fabric. Bodies were buried with food containers and other possessions, presumably to assist the smooth passage of the dead to the next world. The relative success of ancient China can be attributed to the superiority of their ideographic written language, their technology, and their political institutions; the refinement of their artistic and intellectual creativity; and the sheer weight of their numbers. A recurrent historical theme has been the unceasing struggle of the sedentary Chinese against the threats posed by non-Chinese peoples on the margins of their territory in the north, northeast, and northwest. China saw itself surrounded on all sides by so-called barbarian peoples whose cultures were demonstrably inferior by Chinese standards.

This China-centered ("sinocentric") view of the world was still undisturbed in the nineteenth century, at the time of the first serious confrontation with the West. Of course the ancient Chinese showed a remarkable ability to absorb the people of surrounding areas into their own civilization.

The process of assimilation continued over the centuries through conquest and colonization until what is now known as China Proper was brought under unified rule. We package as well as anyone in the business, with lots of protective padding and containers. Unfortunately the contents of parcels are easily lost or misdelivered by postal employees even in the USA.

Please ask for a rate quotation. Most of the items I offer come from the collection of a family friend who was active in the field of Archaeology for over forty years. Though I have always had an interest in archaeology, my own academic background was in sociology and cultural anthropology. After my retirement however, I found myself drawn to archaeology as well. I spend over half of my year out of the United States, and have spent much of my life either in India or Eastern Europe. Petersburg, as well as some other worthy institutions in Europe connected with Anthropology and Archaeology. I acquire some small but interesting collections overseas from time-to-time, and have as well some duplicate items within my own collection which I occasionally decide to part with.

Though I have a collection of ancient coins numbering in the tens of thousands, my primary interest is in ancient jewelry. My wife also is an active participant in the business of antique and ancient jewelry, and is from Russia. The item "1600AD Ming Dynasty China Hand Painted Famille Rose Porcelain Scalloped Bowl" is in sale since Thursday, January 5, 2017. This item is in the category "Antiques\Ethnographic\Other Ethnographic Antiques".

The seller is "ancientgifts" and is located in Lummi Island, Washington. This item can be shipped worldwide.

• Color: Famille Rose Style
• Material: Ancient Ceramic
• Ceramic: Bowl
• Size: 5''