Bowl, Ming dynasty (1368-1644), Reign of the Jiajing emperor, Jiangxi province. Porcelain with underglaze-blue and overglaze decoration. H. 2 1/2 in x Diam. 4 3/4 in, H. 6.4 cm x Diam. 12.1 cm. The Avery Brundage Collection, B67P26 © 2016 Asian Art Museum Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture.

During the Jiajing-Wanli period, color schemes for polychrome decorations developed into various styles. One such style separated the use of underglaze-blue and overglaze materials, as seen on this piece. The interior is painted in blue with a lattice band around the lip and a chrysanthemum branch on the bottom, while the exterior is completely colored in red. The four-character mark in two columns reads wanfu xiaotong ("ten thousand happinesses everywhere in the world"). Since the mark appeared mostly on the underglaze-blue wares of the Jiajing, Wanli, and Chongzhen periods, this example presents an usual case of red colored outside.