Underglaze Cobalt and Copper Fish Bowl

A modern artisan from China’s Zhejiang region made this ceramic basin, but the blue and white style is centuries older and reflects classic Ming Dynasty designs. The whimsical fish swimming among delicately painted cobalt blue plants and fronds is hand-painted in copper which becomes red after firing. The paintings have a symbolic meaning in Chinese art: may you be as harmonious as a fish swimming in water.