Description
Dimensions: 11.5cm diameter
Provenance:
A private English collection
The bowls potted with rounded sides, supported on a short foot. The exterior painted with identical scenes taken from the ‘Ancient Cave of White Deer’, identified by an inscription on the side, depicting the academy nestled among the peaks of Mount Lu. The rims are gilded, and the bases bear a six-character Daoguang mark in iron-red.
The White Deer Cave Academy, located at the foot of Mount Lu in Jiujiang Province, was originally founded during the Tang dynasty by the poet Li Bo (李渤, d. 831). Li Bo, who kept a white deer, became known as the “White Deer Teacher.” In the early Northern Song dynasty, the school was elevated to the rank of academy and renamed the White Deer Grotto Academy. Emperor Taizong (r. 976–997) granted the academy imperial favour, gifting books and conferring official rank on the academy’s Head. It became one of China’s Four Great Academies.
