Brush Washer

Kangxi period, 1662/1722

Chinese Qing Dynasty

Associated Names
Chinese Qing Dynasty

Artist

The sculpture is a smooth, spherical vessel with an open top. It resembles a bowl or a vase and has a simple, elegant form. It has a glossy, polished finish, likely porcelain or glass. The color of the sculpture is a soft, pale blue with an almost translucent quality when light reflects off its surface. The object sits on the surface in a stable manner, with the opening directed towards the viewer. There is a slight gradation in color, indicating the thickness and depth of the material. This minimalist and modern design makes it appear delicate and serene when observed.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    porcelain with pale blue glaze

  • Credit Line

    Widener Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 4.8 x 12.1 cm (1 7/8 x 4 3/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1942.9.484

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Thomas B. Clarke [1837-1913], New York; sold 1913 to Peter A. B. Widener, Lynnewood Hall, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania; inheritance from Estate of Peter A. B. Widener by gift through power of appointment of Joseph E. Widener, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania; gift 1942 to NGA.

Associated Names

Bibliography

1942

  • Works of Art from the Widener Collection. Foreword by David Finley and John Walker. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1942: 20.

1998

  • Bower, Virginia, Josephine Hadley Knapp, Stephen Little, and Robert Wilson Torchia. Decorative Arts, Part II: Far Eastern Ceramics and Paintings; Persian and Indian Rugs and Carpets. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. Washington, D.C., 1998: 98-100, color repro.

Inscriptions

in standard script on base in underglaze blue in three vertical lines of two characters each: Da Qing Kangxi nian zhi (made in the Kangxi reign of the great Qing dynasty)

Wikidata ID

Q62268476

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