Blue-and-white Tripod Incense Burner with Persian Inscriptions

On the exterior wall of this cylindrical incense burner in cobalt pigment are three lines of Persian inscription quoted from the poetry bookBustan written by the Persian poet Sa’di (1209-1292). A three-character reign mark reading “Tianshun years” (Tianshun nian) is written on the interior bottom. The incense burner attests to the archive that the Ming court commissioned eunuchs to resume porcelain production in the dingchou year (1457) of the Tianshun reign after many years’ suspension in Jiangxi where the Jingdezhen official kilns is located since the third year of the Zhengtong reign (1436-1449). This incense burner was donated in 1988 to the Palace Museum by the Hong Kong collector Mr. Yang Yongde.