Minneapolis Institute of Art

Three Dragon brushrest

China

Date

Wanli mark and period (1573–1619)

Medium

Wucai ware Porcelain with underglaze blue and polychrome overglaze enamel décor

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

The term wucai means “five colors” but was used generically to mean “polychrome, ” regardless of how many colors actually appeared on a vessel. The wucai overglaze colors included red, blue, green, yellow, and purple, and during the Ming dynasty they were usually used in conjunction with underglaze cobalt blue designs. Made at Jingdezhen, this rare, porcelain brushrest is molded in the form of a three-peak mountain with a dragon in relief encircling each peak. The central dragon and some motifs are outlined with underglaze cobalt oxide, while the flanking dragons, mountains, waves, clouds, and cusped apron are painted with red, yellow, and green with some black outlining—all in overglaze enamels. The development of overglaze polychrome enamels is one of the most important contributions of the Ming dynasty potter to ceramic history. China, Asia

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