Bowl with Design of Ducks, Water, Ripples and Water Plants (Northern whiteware: Ding ware)
Artist
Chinese
, Hebei province
Date11th or 12th century, Northern Song Dynasty (960–1127)
Mediumporcelain with incised design under a trasparent, kaolin-rich glaze; unglazed rim covered with band of copper alloy
Dimensions6.1 x 21.6 cm (2 3/8 x 8 1/2 in.)
ClassificationsCeramics
Credit LineMuseum purchase
Terms
Object number1954.49
DescriptionBowl. Ding ware. Note: see 1954.48 for more information.Label TextFrom the 10th century onward, Ding whiteware surpassed Xing whiteware in both refinement and scale of production. Relying on the fine, stable clays found in Quyang county (Hebei province), Ding ware was made in thinly potted shapes and with varied decoration, often inspired by contemporary silver, gold and lacquer vessels. As tea drinking became fashionable, Ding ware tea bowls also became increasingly valued at the Northern Song court and at monasteries. This Ding bowl with petal-lobed rim was first thrown on a wheel and then made thinner by shaving the exterior. The inner surface was decorated with naturalistically rendered ducks swimming among reeds, drawn with fluently incised and combed lines. Based on the belief that ducks mated for life and died of sorrow if separated, this classic Song dynasty motif symbolized a wish for a long, faithful and happy m arriage. Northern Song potters used an ingenious and economical method of firing the glazed Ding bowls: they inverted them on their rims, wiped free of glaze. The bowls were stacked on supportive setters in saggars (refractory ceramic boxes) that kept the bowls from warping and protected them from flames and ash in the kilns. After the “upside-down” (fushao) firing, the unglazed rims were often disguised and embellished by fitted metal (copper, bronze, silver or gold) bands, many made in special imperial workshops. Ding ware gained its characteristic warm hue in the 10th century when the fuel of its mantouyao (“bun kilns”) was changed from wood to coal. When fired in oxidation at high heat (1280-1350ºC), the kaolinitic clay component of the glaze with its traces of iron tinged the transparent glaze to an ivory color. The creamy Ding ware glaze is considered unique in its composition among Chinese glazes. It is low in calcium, alkalis and titanium and rich in silicon, aluminum and magnesium, the latter ingredient its major flux.ProvenanceMuseum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
On View
On view
Chinese
12th century, Northern Song (960–1127) or Jin Dynasty (1115–1234)
Chinese
9th or early 10th century, Tang dynasty (618–906) or Northern Song dynasty (960–1127)
Chinese
Late Northern Song Dynasty (1042–1127)
Chinese
Late Northern Song Dynasty (1042–1127)
Chinese
late 11th century –early 12th century, Northern Song dynasty (960-1127)
Chinese
Kangxi period (1662–1722) of the Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
Chinese
first half of the 8th century, Tang dynasty (618–906)
Chinese
Late Yuan dynsaty (1279–1368)
