Bowl with hidden dragons, one of a pair

One of the great achievement of the jingdezhen kiln in the early Ming was the white glaze, which has been called tianbai ("sweet white"). The best of these wares were eggshell-thin and incised or molded with decoration that is hidden under the glaze (an'hua) by a special treatment, but that can be observed when viewed through the light. These shell-thin wares in the forms of bowls, stem cups, dishes, vases, and tea pots have been found at the early Ming capital in Nanjing. To create such a refined shape, the clay had to be trimmed about one hundred times until the body was thin enough. Most of these wares have no marks, but this piece does bear the Yongle mark. This piece is treasured for both the imperially symbolic image of the dragon and the identification mark.