Bowl

The bowl is complete, with a crack. The bowl is circular, with a flared rim and plain rim, and a sloping wall curving towards the flat bottom. On the reverse, it rests on a massive ring-shaped foot, whose beveled base is free of glaze. The bottom is recessed and flat; the decoration covers the inside of the bowl, i.e. the inner rim and bottom. The decoration is a floral type treated in Imari. It is hand-painted in two-tone blue underglaze, then traced and painted in iron red, with gold highlights, over glaze. The braid under the inner edge is traced in blue and outlined with a fillet. It is composed of two alternately repeated elements. One element is a flower, traced and painted in red with gilding, and bordered by leaves, traced and painted in blue and traced in red; it is set between two arcs made of a wide curved line, traced and painted in blue with gilding. The second element is a latticework of four-petal flowers in red. The inner background is decorated with a scene whose central element is a large rock with holes, symbolizing the Chinese philosophy of Taoism, traced and painted in blue with gold highlights; it rests on an undulating terrace traced in blue and painted in faded red. On either side of the rock rise leafy branches traced and painted in blue, most of whose leaves are traced and painted in red, sometimes with veins, although some leaves are painted in blue with gilding; some leaves appear to be bamboo. There are also large flowers traced and painted in red with gilding, as well as a flower traced and painted in blue with gilding.