Slops jar (zhadou)

Blue-and-white.
Clay: fine white porcelain.
Glaze: plain, transparent.
Decoration: in underglaze cobalt blue; dragons amid floral scrolls inside and out. Four-character Cheng-te mark in blue on base.

Historical period(s)
Ming dynasty, Zhengde reign, 1506-1521
Medium
Porcelain with cobalt pigment under colorless glaze
Style
Jingdezhen ware
Dimensions
H x Diam: 12.5 × 15.4 cm (4 15/16 × 6 1/16 in)
Geography
China, Jiangxi province, Jingdezhen
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1951.9a-b
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Jar

Keywords
China, dragon, flower, Jingdezhen ware, Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644), porcelain, Zhengde reign (1506 - 1521)
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Description

Blue-and-white.
Clay: fine white porcelain.
Glaze: plain, transparent.
Decoration: in underglaze cobalt blue; dragons amid floral scrolls inside and out. Four-character Cheng-te mark in blue on base.

Marking(s)

Four-character Cheng-te mark in blue on base.

Label

Jars of this shape, known in Chinese as zhadou, are called "slops jars" and they were primarily used to hold table refuse--food scraps and dregs of tea and wine. Another name for the shape that was commonly used especially in early twentieth-century writings about Chinese porcelain is "leys jar"; sometimes the term "spitton" is also used.

This imperial slops jar has a four-character Zhengde (1506-21) mark written in cobalt on the bottom. The decoration of dragons cavorting among lotuses was used on a range of table wares made for the Zhengde court.

Published References
  • Ming Porcelains in the Freer Gallery of Art. Washington, 1953. p. 33, fig. 29.
Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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