Bowl with Garden Scenes, 1426-35
Chinese, Ming dynasty, reign of Xuande Emperor
Porcelain with underglaze cobalt decoration
Founders Society Purchase, Sarah Bacon Hill Fund
43.67

At the end of the 13^th century, the Mongols established the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368) and began to patronize the Jingdezhen kilns to the exclusion of all others as they ascribed protective qualities to white porcelain. One outgrowth of cross-cultural contact within the vast Mongol Empire was the creation of blue and white porcelain during the second quarter of the 14^th century using cobalt imported from Persia. This blue and white palace bowl decorated with a garden scene was produced during the reign of one of China's most artistically gifted and culturally refined emperors.