Jingdezhen ware dish

Large dish with flaring rounded sides, narrow everted rim, rounded unglazed foot rim dressed with brown wash.

Clay: white porcelain.

Glaze: celadon of Longquan type, translucent light green, medium gloss, slight orange-skin texture, base glazed; white body shows through where glaze thins at rim edge and over high parts of molded relief.

Decoration: molded design of dragon and clouds, bottom of inside; outside of cavetto, molded overlapping lotus petals. The central panel, which measures same as base, is slightly recessed. The three-clawed dragon has profile head and a scroll-ended tail.

Seal form of Yongzheng reign mark in underglaze blue on base.

This large porcelain dish was made at the imperial kiln in Jingdezhen, as attested by both its quality and the reign mark written in cobalt beneath the glaze on its base. The color and texture of the celadon glaze represent a revival of Longquan-type wares. Several Qing dynasty emperors, including Yongzheng, who ruled from 1723 to 1735, ordered porcelains made in ancient styles. This was not only a statement of personal taste but also a useful political tool. The Qing emperors were Manchu conquerors who sought to proclaim the legitimacy of their rule over China by associating themselves with cultural high points of China's past. The dragonlike beast is an auspicious creature, shown here cavorting among clouds.

Freer Gallery of Art Collection

Looking Out, Looking In: Art in Late Imperial China (October 14, 2017 - ongoing)

Shades of Green and Blue: Chinese Celadon Ceramics (July 15, 1997 to September 7, 2004)

A Decade of Discovery: Selected Acquisitions 1970-1980 (November 9, 1979 to May 22, 1980)