Pair of Bowls

The imperial porcelain factories of Jingdezhen experimented with a wide range of colors in the early Qing Dynasty. Transparent enamels, including the dark yellow seen here, were applied either directly on the unglazed porcelain body or over a fired porcelain with a thin, clear glaze. The colors are very fluid and during firing they fill the fine lines that have been carved into the porcelain. Qing court regulation specified all-over yellow vessels for the use at the emperor, empress, and empress dowager, but actual practice was not as rigid as the regulations suggest.