Ming Dynasty Celadon Bowl

Beautiful jade green, antique Celadon bowl. Early Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644).

It is not easy to date celadon ware. Experts simply refer to it as 'green ware' and for good reason. It is believed that celadon was first made during the Eastern Han Dynasty (25 – 220 AD) right up until present times. The ceramics made during the Eastern Han Dynasty are generally considered the ancestors of 'porcelain', porcelain not being perfected until somewhere between 1572 and 1620 (during the time of the Ming Dynasty). This is an important consideration when dating ceramics.

This is obviously a very old piece of celadon, but it is not porcelain. It is too thick and heavy, and the colour of the clay used is too dark to be porcelain. It is known as stoneware which virtually all ceramic pieces were made from until they discovered how to make what we now call porcelain.

The bowl is close to the desired colour of that time, jade green. During this period the colour of the glaze was at times a little hit and miss, producing a lot of 'happy accidents'. Sometimes olive green, grey and even lilac. Many of these colours eventually became highly desired in themselves. The patterning fits with descriptions of celadon pre-porcelain, with fluting around the outside and a sculptured leafy pattern around the base.

This bowl was used for offerings in Balinese temple ceremonies for many years.

As this is stoneware, not porcelain, I would place its manufacture in early 1500's, maybe earlier. At this time, large quantities were being shipped all over Asia, but not so much to Europe.

Collected by me in the early 1980's.

Condition: As you can see in the photos there are two chips on the outer edge, three fine cracks and a fair amount of crazing. Some of the crazing is simply caused by nearly 500 years of use, although it was not uncommon for some crazing to occur during the firing.

Dimensions
Width (across the top): 20.5 cm (8 2/8”)
Height: 8 cm (3 2/8”)

Only one available.


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