Cleveland Museum of Art

Yellow-Glazed Bowl

Date

1505–21

Medium

Porcelain with monochrome yellow glaze

Culture

China, Jiangxi province, Jingdezhen kilns, Ming dynasty (1368–1644), Zhengde mark and reign (1505–21)

Department

Chinese Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Monochrome yellow–glazed porcelain appears first during the Ming dynasty and is the combined result of technological advancement, the requirements of state rituals, and aspirations of taste. The base bears a mark of the Zhengde (正德) reign period, renowned for its high-quality imperial porcelain, and a pleasure-seeking emperor who died in his youth. Imperial marks were permitted to be applied only by Jingdezhen workshops affiliated with the court. Most scholars believe that yellow monochrome ware was reserved for the use of the imperial household or served as diplomatic gifts. The color is therefore often called “imperial yellow.” Zhengde–marked bowls of this so-called imperial yellow type are also preserved in the National Palace Museum in Taipei and the Topkapi Saray, Istanbul, once the palace of the Ottoman sultans.

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