Description
Chongzheng 1628-1644
From our Chinese collection, we are delighted to offer this rare example Chinese Ko-Sometsuke Wucai Porcelain Plate. The plate potted in porcelain ceramic of circular shape and made specifically for the Japanese market depicts a monkey beneath a peach tree beside lingzhi with a recumbent deer amongst rocks and a bird and small insects flying above. Signed to the underside with the six character Chenghua 大明成化年製 mark in underglaze blue. The Chinese Ko-Sometsuke Wucai Porcelain Plate dates to the Chinese Ming Dynasty 17th century during the Chongzheng period 1628-1644.
Notes
when these pieces were ordered by Japan, Ko-sometsuke porcelain was intentionally manufactured using poorly levigated clay and roughly potted with inconsistencies or imperfections that appealed to the Japanese. Typical Ko-Somesuke wares are often slightly warped in shape and bear rim ‘frits’ or chipping from manufacture which were intentionally made and often perceived as damage or a mistake during firing. Often the glaze would flake off the body of the piece and the edges, known as mushikui, or ‘earth worm nibbles’ were particularly prized.
Reference
-Cf. R Kilburn, Transitional Wares and Their Forerunners, p.139, no.162
-T Canepa and K Butler, Leaping the Dragon Gate
-The Sir Michael Butler Collection of Seventeenth-Century Chinese Porcelain, p.127, III.1.97
-Transitional Wares and Their Forerunners, An exhibition presented by the Oriental Ceramics Society of Hong Kong at the Hong Kong Museum of Art in 1981 page 139, plate 162
Ko sometsuke
also known as Tianqi porcelain refers to Chinese underglaze blue porcelain made in the unofficial kilns of Jingdezhen 景德镇 for the Japanese market in the 17th century, Ming dynasty. The term Tianqi 天啓 or tenkei in Japanese is a reference to the era name of the reign of the Tianqi Emperor who ruled between 1621–1628 during the late Ming dynasty though it is not limited to his reign. The size of the wears are usually smaller-medium flatware such as plates and bowls. Designs for this ware are usually landscapes, birds, animals, flowers and figures. Many examples of the ware were treasured in Japan as part of the tea ceremony culture and many show an unmistakable Japanese influence as it is thought that they were often specifically ordered from Japan by period tea masters. Base inscriptions for these types of wears are usually those from previous reigns in the dynasty with a preference for the Chenghua reign mark.
lingzhi (mushroom)
Ganoderma sichuanense, also known as reishi or Ganoderma lingzhi is a polypore fungus native to East Asia belonging to the genus Ganoderma. Its reddish brown, varnished, kidney-shaped cap with bands and peripherally inserted stem give it a distinct fan-like appearance which has been used for centuries in the Chinese decorative arts.
Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)
The Ming dynasty was an imperial dynasty in China founded by Zhu Yuanzhang, a commoner who overthrew the Mongol Yuan dynasty in 1368. Zhu Yuanzhang established the dynasty and named it Da Ming, which means “Great Brightness”. The Ming Dynasty ruled from 1368 to 1644 before it was succeeded by the Qing Dynasty (1644 to 1912). It was the last imperial dynasty of China to be ruled by the Han people, the majority ethnic group in China.
Measurements
20.2cm Diameter x 2.7cm High (7.95 x 1 Inches)
COndition
Excellent, as mentioned above the plate is intentionally warped from initial firing and bears several frits / chipping to the rim which were placed from manufacture to simulate age
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