Leys jar

Vessel of spittoon shape; globular body, saucer-shaped mouth, low foot-rim with beveled edge.

Clay: fine, white, translucent, resonant porcelain.

Glaze: fine, clear, glossy, feldspathic; overall except edge of foot-rim; edge of mouth-rim brown.

Decoration: painted in vivid underglaze cobalt blue and overglaze iron-red and gold. Inside mouth: a narrow border in underglaze blue, with segments hatched diagonally, alternately in opposing directions, cross hatched in gold over the glaze; two magnolia shrubs in underglaze blue outlined in gold and with buds, blossoms and leaves in iron-red and gold. Outside of mouth: three flower sprays (perhaps mei-hua) in underglaze blue, iron-red and gold overglaze; single blue line below mouth rim, double blue line defines neck. Body: two groups of sprays combining peony, lotus, chrysanthemum and other flowers in same technique and colors as above. Border at foot is quatrefoil blossom enclosed in blue lines. The whole design is well and surely executed. The overglaze colors are clear and in fine state of preservation.

Historical period(s)
Qing dynasty, 1720-1740
Medium
Porcelain with cobalt pigment under clear glaze, enamels over glaze
Style
Chinese Imari ware
Dimensions
H x W: 9.8 x 12.9 cm (3 7/8 x 5 1/16 in)
Geography
China, Jiangxi province, Jingdezhen
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1975.7
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Leys jar

Keywords
China, Chinese Imari ware, chrysanthemum, cobalt pigment, flower, lotus, peony, porcelain, Qing dynasty (1644 - 1911)
Provenance

To 1974
Oriental Art, Benjamin J. Stein, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. [1]

From 1974
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Oriental Art, Benjamin J. Stein, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. [2]

Notes:

[1] Freer Gallery of Art Purchase List after 1920, Collections Management Office.

[2] See note 1.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Oriental Art, Benjamin J. Stein

Description

Vessel of spittoon shape; globular body, saucer-shaped mouth, low foot-rim with beveled edge.

Clay: fine, white, translucent, resonant porcelain.

Glaze: fine, clear, glossy, feldspathic; overall except edge of foot-rim; edge of mouth-rim brown.

Decoration: painted in vivid underglaze cobalt blue and overglaze iron-red and gold. Inside mouth: a narrow border in underglaze blue, with segments hatched diagonally, alternately in opposing directions, cross hatched in gold over the glaze; two magnolia shrubs in underglaze blue outlined in gold and with buds, blossoms and leaves in iron-red and gold. Outside of mouth: three flower sprays (perhaps mei-hua) in underglaze blue, iron-red and gold overglaze; single blue line below mouth rim, double blue line defines neck. Body: two groups of sprays combining peony, lotus, chrysanthemum and other flowers in same technique and colors as above. Border at foot is quatrefoil blossom enclosed in blue lines. The whole design is well and surely executed. The overglaze colors are clear and in fine state of preservation.

Label

"Chinese Imari" of the early 18th century represents an attempt on the part of Chinese potters to recapture part of the European market won by Japanese Imari ware (^j^) by 1700.  The decoration of this jar of the K'ang-hsi period combines underglaze blue and overglaze red and gold painting, a color scheme employed by Japanese Imari. Chinese pieces tend to be smaller than their Japanese counterparts; the drawing is more carefully finished and the blue is a softer, more delicate shade.

Published References
  • Julia Murray. A Decade of Discovery: Selected Acquisitions 1970-1980. Exh. cat. Washington, 1979. cat. 30, p. 40.
Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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