Annamese Blue and White Porcelain Brushwasher Held by Parrot

About the Item

Blue and white Annamese porcelain brush washer encircled by a parrot. Recovered from the wreck of a 15th century ship off the coast of Hoi An, among a group of sunken porcelain known as the Hoi An Hoard, found 230 feet below the surface of the water. Typical of the Hoi An pieces, the brush washer has a zoomorphic form, decorated with pale cobalt blue and exhibits the signature chalky, slightly ivory white body with a fine glaze. Through very few strokes, the painter evokes a very large personality for a small bird, exhibiting an almost child-like delightfulness. The bird is sharp-eyed and retains a vaguely bemused expression as its hooked beak pushes in the edge of the bowl. The designs on its wing are free, direct and supple. In good condition besides the fading characteristic of shipwreck porcelain and a few minor scratches on the body of the bird. It is the work of the potters of Chu Dau, a small town near the river Thai Binh in the heart of the Red River delta. Following ancient traditions, this masterful creation represents the apogee of Vietnamese ceramics. A similar piece (purchased at the same cargo) was published in Two Americans in Paris: A Quest for Asian Art (LienArt 2016) as catalog number 333. It was displayed at two museums as part of the exhibition From the Lands of Asia: The Sam and Myrna Myers Collection at the Pointe-a-Calliere Museum in Montreal, Canada from November 17, 2016 to March 19, 2017, as well as at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, from March 4, 2018 to August 9, 2018.

Dimensions:

Height: 1.63 in (4.15 cm)Width: 4.25 in (10.8 cm)Depth: 3.25 in (8.26 cm)

Materials and Techniques:

Porcelain,Hand-Painted

Place of Origin:

Vietnam

Period:

15th Century and Earlier

Date of Manufacture:

15th Century

Condition:

Wear consistent with age and use. Minor fading. There is a small chip in the glaze on the rim of the bowl.