Bowl with carved lotus petals design
Annam; Kiln Unknown, Vietnam
Description
March 28, 2009
These finely potted vessels with monochrome glaze were used locally by monks and officials, as well as exported to southern islands for burial. Vietnamese wares were admired for their fine-grained clays free from impurities and the skill with which they were worked. The advanced kiln technology of firing these fine stonewares, once known only in China, was gradually transmitted to Vietnam and Thailand as the ceramic trade market expanded and potters emigrated. Decorative techniques, such as the mottled green glaze seen here—achieved by applying small dots of wax before glazing—and the motifs of lotus petals and leaf scrolls in the two yellow-green pots, also came from China. The interior spots (called spur marks) in the beaker with leaf scroll pattern are the remnants from clay pads inserted between pots during firing to prevent fusing. The unglazed ring in the green glazed beaker is the result of a clay ring used for the same purpose.
(Label for UMMA South and Southest Asia Gallery Opening Rotation, March 2009)
Subject Matter:
A bowl with carved lotus blossom design.
Physical Description:
A rounded bowl, its lower two-thirds carved as a lotus blossom centered on the foot of the bowl, with two bands of double incised lines around the rim area. The pale yellow-brown glaze is worn in some areas. Five spur marks inside.
Usage Rights:
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