Yellow-Glazed “Bountiful Harvest” Bamboo-Weave Bowl

A yellow-glazed porcelain bowl, Ming Dynasty, Hongzhi period style, moulded to imitate a woven bamboo basket. A diamond-shaped panel carries the character 豐 (feng, "abundance"), and the bowl is filled with grains to complete the auspicious theme 五谷丰登: "a bountiful harvest of the five grains."

Hongzhi yellow is admired as the purest, softest yellow ever achieved in Chinese porcelain, the high point of low-fired lead glazes, often called "chicken-fat yellow" or "delicate yellow" (娇黄). Yellow was the emperor's colour.

The vessel is entirely covered in a delicate yellow glaze, characterized by a soft, lustrous, and subtly warm tone, closely corresponding to the celebrated “Jiao Huang” (娇黄), or “chicken-fat yellow,” associated with the Hongzhi period of the Ming dynasty. Renowned for its tender, creamy appearance, this imperial yellow glaze represents one of the finest achievements of Ming yellow-glaze production.

Yellow held strong associations with imperial authority during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Hongzhi-period “Jiao Huang” was a hallmark of the imperial kilns and was reserved for the court, reflecting the exceptionally high level of ceramic craftsmanship achieved under the Hongzhi reign.

The vessel takes the form of a shallow, widely flared bowl, suitable for use as a brush washer (bixi) in the scholar’s studio, as well as a decorative or auspicious display vessel. Its bamboo-weave form evokes abundance and a well-stocked granary, expressing traditional wishes for favorable weather, plentiful harvests, and overflowing storehouses.

The entire body is carved with a textured pattern imitating woven bamboo strips. A diamond-shaped cartouche on the vessel’s body encloses the character “穀” (grain). Related examples are often inscribed with the characters “五,” “丰,” and “登,” which together form “五谷丰登” (wugu fengdeng), meaning “five grains in abundant harvest.” This auspicious motif was a popular blessing theme in Chinese ceramics of the Ming and Qing dynasties.

“Wugu fengdeng” is a quintessential auspicious symbol rooted in China’s agrarian culture. The expression and its associated imagery can be traced to the pre-Qin period and became an established decorative theme on ritual and domestic objects. It appeared extensively on both imperial and commercial ceramics of the Ming and Qing dynasties, expressing the enduring wish for abundant harvests, prosperous granaries, and a life of material plenty.

The base is covered in white glaze and inscribed within double underglaze-blue rings with the six-character reign mark “大明弘治年制” (Da Ming Hongzhi Nian Zhi) in regular script, reading “Made during the Hongzhi reign of the Great Ming dynasty.” The vessel adopts the form of an imitative grain storehouse, symbolizing bountiful harvests, abundant grain, and well-stocked granaries.