I first thought she was kidding at first. The bowl was so tempting and she gave it to me at a beginner's price. The bowl itself was probably made in one of the Fujian kilns during the Ming dynasty (before the Ming Gap period), most likely in Zangzhou. This is why many of the Southeast Asian blue and whites came from Zangzhou. Westerners would vulgarly refer to this as "Kitchen Ming"
I love the luster and the sheen on this bowl. Although there's no cracleur to speak of, the kaolin glaze makes the surface unctuous and cool to the touch. The thing that will clue you that this is a Swatow ceramic is the sandy particles that clung to the foot of the bowl. I also loved the "ram" decoration in cobalt blue.
This is such a large bowl and a perfect one at that! The condition is perfect except for a hairline crack on the side.
You can check out onlinegalleries.com for an example of a similar bowl. I took the liberty to post that item's pics for easy comparison. As you can see, it has the same perfect sheen, and a similar design. Its blurb says:
Ming blue and white Swatow bowl made for export. Well potted with a good white glaze to the outside and inside of the bowl. The only decoration is to the bottom of the inside where a quick painting of a qilin is decorated in underglaze blue. Made between 1550 -1600. Underneath there is a deep footrim with kiln grit still adhering to the edge.This is definitely a keeper. Did you see the price? OMG. It makes one feel lucky to be living here in the Philippines.
Also, for more examples on this collectable ware, I would suggest reading Rita C. Tan's book, "Zangzhou Ware Found in the Philippines". You can order this from its publisher, ArtPostAsia. Highly recommended if you really are into serious collecting of this highly specialized category of antiques.
