Untitled

Unknown

early 18th century · Porcelain with powder blue glaze and gold decoration (Jingdezhen ware) · Asian Art

The principal décor on this plate depicts one of the most famous scenic spots in China: Three Pools Mirroring the Moon (Santan Yinyue) in Hangzhou’s West Lake. Two gentlemen sit at their leisure in a nearby water pavilion, enjoying the view of the moon’s reflection in the midst of three small “pagodas”. Integrating painting, calligraphy, and poetry in a work of the “Three Perfections,” the plate is further embellished with a poem on this scenic spot by the sixteenth-century poet Yang Zhou. The inscription followed by a seal impression that reads: “Residence of Wood and Rock (Mushiju),” a ceramic workshop famous for its literati taste in ceramic design from the late 17th to the early 18th century.

Artist

Unknown

Date

early 18th century

Medium

Porcelain with powder blue glaze and gold decoration (Jingdezhen ware)

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Shirley M. Mueller, 2018