Hawk on Branch
1427
Hanging scroll, ink and color on silk
45 1/2 x 23 1/2 in. (115.8 x 59.9 cm)
Inscription:
“Hawks flocking together in lofty groves have unyielding characters. Formerly they were compared to the virtuous in cities…. when at leisure from the ten-thousand affairs of state, I then call for (brush and ink) from the study and paint so as to banish my cares and give lodging to my feelings of loneliness.
Created by the Emperor during the first ten days of the 8th lunar month in Autumn, of the 2nd year of the Xuan….x…….. reign-era and presented to Eunuch Wang Zhong.”
An Underglaze-blue Porcelain Dish with Deer Design 青青鹿紋菊花形瓷盤
Late Ming dynasty
Late 16th-early 17th century
Diameter: 8 in. (20.3 cm)
Height: 1.38 in. (3.4 cm)
The small, thinly potted dish was wheel thrown and pressed over a mould to produce a double row of multiple lobes or flutes in the cavetto, the lip rim finished with gentle scallops corresponding to the fluting, the wide flat base enclosed within a low v-shaped slightly inturned foot, the unglazed foot rim with a modicum of grit adhering and with some fritting to the lip rim. The focus of the design is a pair of deer within a loosely executed landscape of vague hillocks and foliage. One deer turns its head back as it moves forward, gazing at the second deer following behind, the bright cobalt blue brushed on in fluid washes, consistent in color throughout, the motifs enhanced with lineament, in places as brief outlines, in others as decorative or descriptive curved or straight comb-like lines. The flutes were each further defined with pencil- thin outlines and each completed with a thick blue stripe down its center. A double line circles the exterior of the foot while a loose scroll circles the foot at the base of the exterior wall. The glaze is clear, smooth and bright.
Our Asia Week New York online exhibition showcases a Chinese Cizhou-ware Ceramic Pillow with Double-phoenix Décor. This stoneware pillow is a breathtaking example of a technique for producing ceramic decoration perfected by Cizhou potters during the 11th century of the Song dynasty in northern China. The remarkable precision apparent in the production of the rare double-phoenix design on the headrest of the pillow and the density and intricate placement of the stamped rings forming the ground are exemplary, producing an effect that is as close to refined metalware decoration as a potter could get.