Jingdezhen Eggshell Porcelain Bowl, Cranes & Pine, Silk Box

A Jingdezhen eggshell porcelain bowl with a subtly foliate rim, hand-decorated in the Sōnghe Yánnián (松鶴延年 — "pine, crane, and long life") tradition — one of the most enduring auspicious motifs in Chinese decorative arts, pairing the pine's evergreen constancy with the crane's association with immortality and longevity. The exterior carries a continuous polychrome scene of red-crowned Manchurian cranes (Grus japonensis) moving among twisted pine boughs and pink prunus blossoms, the scene framed above by a blue ruyi-head border and below by a blue wave-scroll band — both classical filler registers that anchor the narrative panel without competing with it. The walls are eggshell-thin at 1.5 mm, a hallmark of Jingdezhen's high-fire translucent porcelain tradition that reached its apex under imperial patronage but continued in studio form well into the twentieth century.

The interior centers on a single blue underglaze dragon chasing a flaming pearl within a floral roundel, ringed by a lotus-lappet band and a repeating heart-motif rim border that mirrors the exterior's upper register. The foot bears a printed square seal in blue underglaze reading Zhōngguó Jǐngdézhèn Zhì (中國景德鎮製 — "Made in Jingdezhen, China"), a mark used from the mid-twentieth century onward for presentation-quality export and gift wares. One exterior panel carries the four-character calligraphic inscription 松鶴延年 in black overglaze, reinforcing the bowl's auspicious intent. The original fitted silk-lined brocade box — green geometric exterior, gold satin interior, bone toggle closures — remains with the piece and is labeled on the exterior: 20cm Bowl / Blue & White (Cranes) Flu. / EB20BWC-F, indicating a modern retail or export inventory designation.

CONDITION

Good with age-appropriate wear. Light surface scuffing to the interior glaze, with crazing marks to the lower interior wall; minor rim wear consistent with careful handling. No cracks, chips, or restoration noted on the bowl itself. The brocade box shows soiling and edge wear to the exterior fabric, with staining and light flaking to the gold silk lining.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

• Overall: 3¼" H × 8" Diameter
• Wall Thickness: 1.5 mm
• Base Mark: 中國景德鎮製 (Zhōngguó Jǐngdézhèn Zhì — "Made in Jingdezhen, China"), printed blue underglaze seal
• Exterior Inscription: 松鶴延年 (Sōnghe Yánnián — "pine and crane, long life"), black overglaze calligraphy
• Box Label: EB20BWC-F / 20cm Bowl / Blue & White (Cranes) Flu.
• Includes: Original fitted silk-lined brocade box with bone toggle closures
• Campbell's Soup Can (4" H) Shown for Scale — Not Included