The
exterior motif shows 8 lotus blooms with tri-foil leaves connected by a
continuous scrolling vine. An alternating classic scroll borders the
outer lip. Bordering the foot are 10 freely drawn lotus panels with
tri-foil motif. The alternating (broken) style of the classic scroll
border is a sign of very early design, such as Hongwu or Yongle, versus
the more connecting, calligraphic style of Xuande and later reigns.
Though early Ming, this one piece has many of the
design traits of Yuan decoration.
The
interior motif has a full diamond trellis-diaper band bordering the
lip. Just below are six furled lotus blooms with traditional tri-foil
leaves on a continuous scrolling vine. Above each bloom is a single
Sanskrit character. Within a double ring, the center decoration has six
panels, each also containing a single Sanskrit character. This is one
of the rarest bowls in my collection because of the rich mix in
decoration. Having both trellis-diaper and classic
scroll, the early tri-foil style of both the leaves and
panels, and especially the 12 Sanskrit characters.
One
small hairline crack of 3 cm visible as well as 2 small repairs to the
rim. Several small areas of iron oxide discoloration show where the
glaze was either thin, or void when fired.
|