Wine cup. Porcelain painted in underglaze cobalt with design of the "three friends."
Clay: porcelain. Slightly oxidized on exterior surface.
Decoration: in underglaze cobalt. Double lines encircling inside and outside of rim and framing design in center of interior; triple line circling outside of foot, including one line at angle between body and foot. Design motif of "three friends" (pine, plum, and bamboo) in interior, shown as landscape with ground plane, rocks, and other plants; on exterior, as abstracted intertwining branches.
Inscriptions:
Six character mark of the Ming dynasty, Xuande period (1426-1435), within double ring.
Provenance:
To ?
Kenny & Higgins Asian Art, Washington, DC [1]
From ? to 1984
Dr. Ignacio Rodriguez, Arnold, Maryland, purchased from Kenny & Higgins Asian Art, Washington, DC [2]
From 1984
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Dr. and Mrs. Ignacio Rodriguez, Arnold, Maryland [3]
Notes:
[1] See Appraisal from The Oriental Art Auction Company, Inc., copy in object file, Collections Management Office.
[2] See note 1.
[3] See Deed of Gift, copy in object file, Collections Management Office.
Collection:
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Exhibition History:
Plum Blossoms, Chrysanthemums, and Bamboo (July 30 to December 4, 2011)
The Arts of China (November 18, 1990 to September 7, 2014)