清康熙　景德鎮窯青花山水人物圖香爐|Censer with figures in landscape

Unknown

1707 · Porcelain painted in underglaze cobalt blue (Jingdezhen ware) · Asian Art

The thickly potted censer stands on three small feet and is painted with a continuous landscape of mountains and rivers. Three scholars are shown boating on one side while another two stand on a promontory overlooking the view. Signs of habitation are also found in the pavilion nestled along the sides of the river, and the two small thatched huts on the river banks. The full moon in the sky and the flying geese add a seasonal element to the scene as do the budding trees. It seems likely that the painting, rendered in dramatic shades of light and dark cobalt, represents a moment in either autumn or spring. A four character inscription in cobalt blue in a round cartouche on the bottom reads dinghai nian zhi (丁亥年之), a cyclical date with corresponds with 1708. There are no missing pieces.

Artist

Unknown

Date

1707

Medium

Porcelain painted in underglaze cobalt blue (Jingdezhen ware)

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Julia and John Curtis, 2015