Jar

Small squat jar with slightly tapered neck, rounded sides, and unglazed base with raised edge.
Clay: porcelain; slightly oxidized where exposed on base.
Glaze: clear; stops at edge of base with three fingerprints around base.
Decoration: in underglaze cobalt: line around rim; five indistinct shapes on neck, probably meant to be cloud-scrolls; collar of ruyi lappets; on body, two floral sprays, with stems to left and tips to right, separated by “crescent moons.”
Mark: none.

Historical period(s)
Ming dynasty, 16th century
Medium
Porcelain with cobalt pigment under clear glaze
Style
Jingdezhen ware
Dimensions
H x W x D: 5.4 x 7 x 7 cm (2 1/8 x 2 3/4 x 2 3/4 in)
Geography
China, Jiangxi province, Jingdezhen
Credit Line
Gift of Dorothy M. Slak
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1986.35
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Jar

Keywords
China, clear glaze, cobalt pigment, flower, Jingdezhen ware, Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644), porcelain
Provenance

From ca. 1968
Dorothy M. Slak, acquired ca. 1968 from Jakarta, Indonesia. [1]

From 1986
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Dorothy M. Slak, Sarasota, Florida. [2]

Notes:

[1] Curatorial Remark 3 in the object record. Also see Curatorial Remark 1 in the object record.

[2] See note 1. Also see Freer Gallery of Art Purchase List after 1920 file, Collections Management Office.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Ms. Dorothy M. Slak

Description

Small squat jar with slightly tapered neck, rounded sides, and unglazed base with raised edge.
Clay: porcelain; slightly oxidized where exposed on base.
Glaze: clear; stops at edge of base with three fingerprints around base.
Decoration: in underglaze cobalt: line around rim; five indistinct shapes on neck, probably meant to be cloud-scrolls; collar of ruyi lappets; on body, two floral sprays, with stems to left and tips to right, separated by "crescent moons."
Mark: none.

Published References
  • Louise Allison Cort, George Williams, David P. Rehfuss. Ceramics in Mainland Southeast Asia. Washington. .
Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Ceramics in Mainland Southeast Asia
Google Cultural Institute
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