**Originally Listed At $300**

East Asia, China, Ming Dynasty, ca. 1368 to 1664 CE. A pair of porcelain bowls, both presenting wide flaring walls - the larger of which with a ribbed exterior - all enveloped in blue-on-white decoration of intricately hand-painted floral and phytomorphic motifs. Marine encrustations on the surfaces of these vessels suggest they were found in a shipwreck. During the Ming Dynasty, a technical advance consisting of adding manganese to prevent cobalt from blurring during firing made it possible to create more vivid design programs on pottery. Hence, such wares from the Ming Dynasty have come to represent the acme of beautiful blue and white porcelain, the likes of which inspired the adoration of porcelain throughout Europe. Size of larger: 14" Diameter x 3.5" H (35.6 cm x 8.9 cm)

According to historical records, Westerners learned of such impressive porcelain in about 1603 after a group of Dutch people captured Portuguese cargo ships that were carrying thousands of examples of Ming porcelain. This act inspired the craze for porcelain throughout Europe. The pieces were sold at such high prices that they were dubbed "white gold"!

Provenance: private Lumberton, Texas, USA collection, acquired before 2010

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#183688

Larger bowl has area of loss to rim, as well as professional repair, restoration, and chips to other areas of rim. More petite is intact, but has heavy weathering and abrading to one side. Both have expected nicks and pitting to surface, commensurate with age and liberal remaining pigments and detail. Nice craquelure to glaze of larger.