Bowl with Fruiting Plant Design, White Porcelain in Overglaze Enamels(Doucai Ware Type)

Doucai-ware is a type of decorated porcelain. The outlines were painted in cobalt-blue and covered with a transparent glaze before the first firing. The work was fired again at a low temperature after the overglaze enamels of red, yellow, and green were applied. Doucai -ware is also called “contending colors” (in Chinese, the phrases “bean color” and “contending colors” both have the same sound). Fruits such as peaches and pomegranates are depicted on the inside bottom and on the four “windows” on the outside, symbolized long life and prosperity. Auspicious floral designs are rendered between the windows. The production techniques for doucai -ware began to be developed in the Xuande period (1426-1435) and culminated in the Chenghua period (1465-1487), during the Ming dynasty. Objects similar to this doucai -ware bowl were recently excavated at the Jingdezhen kiln in Jiangxi province.