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Source Description
This conical bowl and the shallow and wide one (<a href="https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2020.183">CMA 2020.183</a>) are both hand-incised with decoration suggesting waves, clouds, or floral sprays. All of these motifs had auspicious meaning: waves and clouds bring rain that fertilizes the fields, and flowers and plants were often associated with the beauty of human virtues. The carved and combed designs were swiftly cut with a wooden tool into the unfired leather-hard body before glazing. Once the glaze was applied, it pooled in the incised areas rendering the design more visible.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
76527
label
Bowl with Carved Design
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
76527
contentType
object
title
Bowl with Carved Design
description
This conical bowl and the shallow and wide one (<a href="https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2020.183">CMA 2020.183</a>) are both hand-incised with decoration suggesting waves, clouds, or floral sprays. All of these motifs had auspicious meaning: waves and clouds bring rain that fertilizes the fields, and flowers and plants were often associated with the beauty of human virtues. The carved and combed designs were swiftly cut with a wooden tool into the unfired leather-hard body before glazing. Once the glaze was applied, it pooled in the incised areas rendering the design more visible.
date
1100s–1200s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q87480823
genreSpecific
Ceramic
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 6.5 x 17.2 cm (2 9/16 x 6 3/4 in.)
cul
South China, Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279)
accession
2020.182
Source extras
tec
Porcelain with pale bluish-white (qingbai) glaze
tombstone
Bowl with Carved Design, 1100s–1200s. South China, Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279). Porcelain with pale bluish-white (qingbai) glaze; overall: 6.5 x 17.2 cm (2 9/16 x 6 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Nancy F. and Joseph P. Keithley Collection Gift, 2020.182
collection
China - Song Dynasty
didYouKnow
Never intended for imperial use, <em>qingbai </em>ware was among the first mass-produced porcelain types and became a popular export.
citations
citation
Vainker, S. J. <em>Chinese Pottery and Porcelain</em>. London: British Museum, 2005.
citation
Von Spee, Clarissa. "Chinese Ceramics and Works on Paper." In <em>The Keithley Collection at the Cleveland Museum of Art, </em>edited by Heather Lemonedes Brown, 194–229. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2022.
page_number
Mentioned and Reproduced: pp. 210–211; Mentioned: pp. 259–261
creditline
Nancy F. and Joseph P. Keithley Collection Gift
updatedAt
2026-06-11 12:17:39.054000
sourceId
76527
dept
Chinese Art
coll
China - Song Dynasty
med
Porcelain with pale bluish-white (qingbai) glaze
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
a9ce5a3cb182c8be