VHM_0057

This chiết yêu or “cinched waist” bowl dates to the sixteenth to seventeenth century and is attributed to the Mạc to Revival Lê period, possibly from the Chu Đậu kilns in Hải Dương Province. It is a small ceramic vessel with a flared rim, a gently narrowed waist, and a low foot, finished in a pale jade green celadon glaze and decorated with hand painted cobalt blue floral motifs; it weighs approximately 400 grams. The inward curve of the body gives the form its Vietnamese name, chiết yêu, meaning “cinched waist.” The bowl was used by the family of Bùi Thuần (1896-1948), in Trình Phố village, Kiến Xương District, Thái Bình Province. After 1954, when the family's house was requisitioned by the communist government, this bowl along with other selected heirlooms were saved by being moved to the Bùi ancestral hall. In 2005, Bùi Chiên, the eldest son of Bùi Thuần, retrieved two chiết yêu bowls and four plates for the family altar in Southern California. This bowl and one plate were later donated by Bùi Đức Uyên to the Vietnamese Heritage Museum for preservation and public display.