Bowl with Character for “Longevity” and Assorted Treasure Motifs

late 17th century

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 223

The motifs adorning this bowl are executed in kinrande, or “gold brocade,” derived from a mid-sixteenth-century Chinese technique of decorating porcelain wares—primarily for the Japanese market—with finely painted gold designs on a red ground. At the center, a roundel bears the character kotobuki (壽, meaning “longevity” or “congratulations”) in underglaze blue outlined in overglaze gold. Surrounding it are four cartouches with treasure motifs originally transmitted from China: scrolls, repositories of wisdom; the magic mallet, symbolizing riches; cloves, associated with medicine and fragrance; and the cloak of invisibility, believed to protect from harm. The background of bright colors and gold evokes a richly brocaded textile, densely embellished with geometric patterns and symbols of good fortune. The auspicious designs made the bowl especially fitting for use in New Year’s celebrations.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

色絵寿字宝尽文楽形鉢
Title: Bowl with Character for “Longevity” and Assorted Treasure Motifs
Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
Date: late 17th century
Culture: Japan
Medium: Porcelain with cobalt blue under transparent glaze and polychrome enamels and gold over the glaze (Hizen ware, Arita type)
Dimensions: H. 2 1/2 in. (6.4 cm); Diam. 8 7/8 in. (22.5 cm)
Classification: Ceramics
Credit Line: The Harry G. C. Packard Collection of Asian Art, Gift of Harry G. C. Packard, and Purchase, Fletcher, Rogers, Harris Brisbane Dick, and Louis V. Bell Funds, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, and The Annenberg Fund Inc. Gift, 1975
Object Number: 1975.268.537
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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