China Unknown
Unknown: Brush Washer

porcelain
2.5 x 5 x 5 in.
2013.72
Estate of Richard N. Tetlie '43 in honor of Evelyn Ytterboe Tetlie and Joseph Tetlie

The red-pink color of this particular brush washer was achieved through the use of a peach-bloom glaze, an innovation that emerged during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) under the reign of Emperor Kangxi (1661-1772). The glaze is made from copper and produces a range of red and pink hues, often speckled with green dots.  It was usually applied to porcelain, a highly malleable clay material that is used in creating thin, elegant objects. Porcelain’s pure white color allows for ease in surface decoration and coloring. Technological innovations during the Qing Dynasty allowed for greater production of peach bloom glaze and porcelain, thus increasing their visibility within scholar’s studios. Furthermore, this combination produced an elegant, monochromatic effect - a preferred aesthetic of Chinese scholars.

Katrin Ree
Carleton College
A Scholar’s Studio Exhibition
October 28 – December 18, 2016
Groot Gallery, Flaten Art Museum
Professor Kathleen Ryor
The students involved in curating this show come from two classes – Carleton Professor Kathleen Ryor’s Arts of China and St. Olaf Professor Karil Kucera’s Visual Culture in Modern China