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Source Description

This shallow and wide bowl and the conical one (<a href="https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2020.182">CMA 2020.182</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
76522
label
Dish with Carved Floral Design
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
76522
contentType
object
title
Dish with Carved Floral Design
description
This shallow and wide bowl and the conical one (<a href="https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2020.182">CMA 2020.182</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
Q87480816
genreSpecific
Ceramic
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 4.5 x 18 cm (1 3/4 x 7 1/16 in.)
cul
South China, Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279)
accession
2020.183
Source extras
tec
Porcelain with pale bluish-white (qingbai) glaze
tombstone
Dish with Carved Floral Design, 1100s–1200s. South China, Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279). Porcelain with pale bluish-white (qingbai) glaze; overall: 4.5 x 18 cm (1 3/4 x 7 1/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Nancy F. and Joseph P. Keithley Collection Gift, 2020.183
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.
creditline
Nancy F. and Joseph P. Keithley Collection Gift
updatedAt
2026-06-11 12:17:39.018000
sourceId
76522
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
2418ca16a4793328