Zhangzhou ware jar

Small jar, with short slightly tapering neck, globular body and unglazed slightly concave base.
Clay: porcelain.
Glaze: translucent and grayish; large random crackle; spills on to foot.
Decoration: in underglaze cobalt: single line around neck; overlapping petals around shoulder; double line; two shaped panels, each framing a single blossom with foliage, against a ground of “fish-scale” scallops; single line above base.
Mark: none.

Historical period(s)
Ming dynasty, late 16th-early 17th century
Medium
Porcelain with cobalt pigment under clear, colorless glaze
Style
Zhangzhou ware
Dimensions
H x Diam (overall): 3.8 x 5.4 cm (1 1/2 x 2 1/8 in)
Geography
China, Fujian province, Zhangzhou kilns
Credit Line
Gift of Dorothy M. Slak
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1986.37
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Jar

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

About 1968 to 1986
Dorothy M. Slak, Sarasota, Florida, acquired in Jakarta about 1968 [1]

From 1986
Freer Gallery of Art, given by Dorothy M. Slak in 1986

Notes:

[1] According to Curatorial Note 7 in object record.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Ms. Dorothy M. Slak

Description

Small jar, with short slightly tapering neck, globular body and unglazed slightly concave base.
Clay: porcelain.
Glaze: translucent and grayish; large random crackle; spills on to foot.
Decoration: in underglaze cobalt: single line around neck; overlapping petals around shoulder; double line; two shaped panels, each framing a single blossom with foliage, against a ground of "fish-scale" scallops; single line above base.
Mark: none.

Published References
  • Louise Allison Cort, George Williams, David P. Rehfuss. Ceramics in Mainland Southeast Asia. Washington. .
  • Barbara V. Harrisson. Swatow in Het Princessehof: The Analysis of a Museum Collection of Chinese Trade Wares from Indonesia. Leeuwarden. .
  • Kamer Aga-Oglu. Shadows of the Dragon. Columbus, Ohio. .
Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Ceramics in Mainland Southeast Asia
Google Cultural Institute
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