- Provenance
-
To 1962
J. T. Tai & Co., New York, New York. [1]From 1962
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from J. T. Tai & Co., New York, New York. [2]Notes:
[1] See object file, Collections Management Office.
[2] See note 1.
- Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)
-
J.T. Tai & Co. established in 1950
- Description
-
Vase of guan shape. Blue-and-white.
Clay: fine white porcelain.
Glaze: transparent, glossy.
Decoration: floral scrolls, and boys playing in a garden, painted in underglaze blue.
Six-character Jiajing mark in blue on base.
- Marking(s)
-
Six-character, cobalt Jiajing mark (DaMing nianzhi) written in kaishu inside of double circle on base.
- Label
-
From the late fifteenth century onward, porcelains exhibited increasing diversity in decorative styles and techniques (such as application of enamel glzes directly to the fired porcelain body). This tendancy culminated in the varied output of the Chia-ching period (1522-1566). Thereafter, scale of production gradually began to overwhelm quality. Much blue-and-white porcelain produced at the end fo the Ming dynasty was directed toward a European market, as reflected in the European shapes made to order.
Depicted on this jar, sixteen male children--their mothers' pride and joy--play in an abstracted garden setting, which serves like a stage set to frame the children's activities. All the boys wear their hair in tufts as a sign of youth, while most of the older ones are depicted with jewelry, including amulet necklaces. Separated by large trees and craggy rock formations, some of the children have taken up various adult occupations, including music making, gathering herbs, and riding to town as a successful official. Others concentrate on catching crickets. A cloud-shaped band above suggests a horizon line, while small plants indicate the terrain of this highly stylized landscape.
- Published References
-
- Stacey Sloboda. Chinoiserie: Commerce and Critical Ornament in Eighteenth-Century Britain. .
- Oriental Ceramics: The World's Great Collections. 12 vols., Tokyo. vol. 10, pl. 111.
- Margaret Medley. The Chinese Potter: A Practical History of Chinese Ceramics. Oxford. fig. 165.
- Ann Frank. Chinese Blue and White. New York. .
- Collection Area(s)
- Chinese Art
- Web Resources
- Google Cultural Institute
- SI Usage Statement
-
Usage Conditions Apply
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.
-
CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)
This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.
Usage Conditions Apply
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.
To Download
Chrome users: right click on icon, select "save link as..."
Internet Explorer users: right click on icon, select "save target as..."
Mozilla Firefox users: right click on icon, select "save link as..."
International Image Interoperability Framework
FS-7228_50