The exterior motif shows 8 lotus blooms with
tri-foil leaves connected by a continuous scrolling vine. An alternating
classic scroll borders the outer lip. Bordering the foot are 10 freely drawn
lotus panels with tri-foil motif. The alternating (broken) style of the classic
scroll border is a sign of very early design, such as Hongwu or Yongle, versus
the more connecting, calligraphic style of Xuande and later reigns. Though
early Ming, this one piece has many of the design traits of Yuan
decoration.
The interior motif has
a full diamond trellis-diaper band bordering the lip. Just below are
six furled lotus blooms with traditional tri-foil leaves on a continuous
scrolling vine. Above each bloom is a single Sanskrit character. Within
a double ring, the center decoration has six panels, each also containing
a single Sanskrit character. This is one of the rarest bowls in my
collection because of the rich mix in decoration. Having both trellis-diaper
and classic scroll, the early tri-foil style of both the leaves
and panels, and especially the 12 Sanskrit characters.
One small hairline crack
of 3 cm visible as well as 2 small repairs to the rim. Several small
areas of iron oxide discoloration show where the glaze was either thin, or
void when fired. |