Museum

Jian kiln is located in Shuiji town, Jianyang, Fujian province The thin brown or iron rust colored strips on black-glazed porcelain wares of the Song dynasty is called “rabbit hair streak” patterns for their similarity to hare’s fur. Fujian province is celebrated for the production of black-glazed small cups with design of rabbit hair streaks, with those produced in Jian kiln the best acclaimed. At the time, many literati praised the product in their works.

This pot has a very pure and transparent glaze layer, with highly polished surface. The decoration is uniquely Han dynasty style, reflecting the tastes of that era, which admired simplicity and nature. Han dynasty glazed pottery was fired at low temperatures and used lead glazes. It was usually fired at about 700 degrees Celsius in an oxidizing atmosphere, and the resulting glaze color is usually green, tan, or reddish-brown with shiny surface.

Jun kiln is located in Yuzhou, Henan province. The flowerpot has an archaic shape, elegant glaze color, and lustrous surface. A major product of the Jun kiln, flowerpots were made especially to meet the demand of the Song imperial court after imperial designs.

This jar was unearthed from the Luoyang region of Henan province. Proto-porcelain, which has a glaze of greenish tinge, appeared during the Shang dynasty. Developing from stoneware with pressed decor, it was a transitional product from pottery to porcelain. During the Western Zhou period, glaze became a necessary component of proto-porcelain. It not only functioned to reduce porosity and make vessels easier to clean, but also served a decorative purpose. Because the glaze includes a proportion of iron oxide, it usually shows a greenish tinge.

The floral designs are densely painted over the ewer, but the major subject matter is still easily identified. With rich and bright cobalt blue color, the ewer is regarded as a rare blue-and-white masterpiece dating to the Yuan dynasty. The ewer was a popular form of porcelain wares in the Yuan dynasty. It imitated the Arabic bronze ware while inheriting the Mongolian unrestraint and bold bronze vessel styles.

White porcelain succeeded in the Sui dynasty, although its emergence can be traced back to the Northern dynasty (386-534). Compared to those of the Northern dynasty, the white porcelain technique during the Sui dynasty showed important progress: the quality of glaze improved, and the early flaws such as yellow or green color within white porcelain disappeared.

This vase has a straight mouth, a long neck, a swelling stomach, and a slightly flaring foot ring. It is covered with white glaze and polychrome famille rose painting of two kinds of flowering peach: one is red, the other is white. Their contrasting colored branches surround the vessel, twisting upwards from the foot to the neck. The rouge red blossoms gradually darken from the edge of the petals to the center. This design highlights the splendor of famille rose. On Yongzheng imperial porcelains, generally a monochrome glaze as smooth…

The glaze contains copper to present the red color in a reducing atmosphere at high temperatures. It is quite difficult to achieve a smooth, lustrous effect because very strict firing conditions are required. Extant red glazed porcelain wares datable to the Zhengde reign are very rare, indicating that the manufacturing technique was declining at the time.

Named after the ball-like round stomach, globular vase was an invention in the Xuande reign of the Ming dynasty. Most of the cobalt pigment used during that period was imported from West Asia. Black speckles with metallic sheen appear on the resulted blue patterns, which became the major characteristics of the blue-and-white porcelain at the time. However, this globular vase is an exception. The light-blue decoration suggests domestic cobalt pigment.

The bottom and the stem are connected by a tenon, allowing the cup rotates freely but are never out of joint. The rotating stem cup was an invention of the Yuan dynasty. With the underglaze-red blocks resembling sunset glow, this stem cup is a rarely seen masterpiece.

This elegant plate typifies the Yuan dynasty porcelain plates. In rich and bright cobalt blue, the patterns are meticulously painted and well arranged. The major motif, the mandarin ducks playing among lotus flowers, are clearly presented.

Lying on the ground, this sheep holds its head up with the mouth open. Decorative stripes are engraved symmetrically on its back. Its dark green glaze is brilliant and lustrous. In ancient times, sheep were regarded as auspicious. Sheep-shaped ceramics, which were popular from the Three Kingdoms period (220-265) to the Jin dynasty (265-420), are very delicate and charming.

The vase has a reticulated exterior and an independently revolving interior. A small vase is set inside, the neck of which links with the exterior so it can rotate. The small vase has famille rose against white glaze. The shoulder of the larger vase have twenty-four framed roundels containing names of Heavenly Stems (tian gan) and Earthly Branches (di zhi) in seal script (zhuan shu), as well as two words in regular script (kai shu) reading “jia zi” (the first year of the sixty-year cycle) and “ten thousand years” (wan…

The broad-rimmed plate has a flat bottom and a foot ring. At the center of the plate sprawls a crab surrounded by porcelain fruit, nuts, and seeds. An interlocking lotus design decorates the edge of the plate. At the bottom, a mark in seal script reads “Made in the Great Qing Qianlong reign”(Da Qing Qianlongnian zhi). The objects on the plate not only bear a precise resemblance to the real thing but also convey auspicious meanings: in Chinese language, the crab is a homonym for “number one”(jia). It conveys a…

With elegant shape and lively floral design, this is a masterpiece of the Khitan Liao dynasty white-glazed porcelain wares. Living in the prairie in the north, the Khitans tended to use leather or metal ware. Some of their porcelain wares were designed after the leather and metal ware, with apparent ethnic characteristics.

Washer (xi) is one of the main daily-use vessels, similar to a basin today. This one comes from the Yue kiln of the south, which adopted the pattern and shape from bronze ware and is a popular style in Western Jin period. Use of Buddhist motif reflects the widespread popularity of Buddhism during in Western Jin. Stamped decoration is one of the decoration techniques on porcelain. It involved making models and then luting them onto the vessel to achieve a three dimensional effect.

Machang Type (ca. 2200-2000BCE), Majiayao Culture The red-clay pottery has a thin, flared mouth, a ball-shaped stomach, and a flat foot. Black stylized frog motifs are painted on the orange background. The pottery is dated to the Maijiayao culture, which is celebrated for its distinguished achievement on painted pottery. Smooth clay surface, elaborate motifs, and various forms characterize potteries made in this period. The frog was one of the most popular motifs used and Majiayao potteries boast such variably styles as double headed, full-profile, frog legs, and frog torsos.

Tiger-shaped pillows of this type were mainly produced by Cizhou kiln in Hebei province, Bacun kiln in Yu county of Henan province, and Changzhi kiln in Shangxi province of north China. The tiger’s head either faces left or right; the glaze are either in light yellow or darker; the pillow top is usually in oval shape. This ware is believed to date to the Jin dynasty because of a similar pillow kept by the Shanghai Museum, on the bottom of which is inscribed with the reign mark of the Dading…

Wearing a rimmed pointed hat, the figure has a long face, sunken eyes, a large nose, beard and mustache. His appearance agrees with the facial features of an Arab as described in the records of New History of the Tang Dynasty (Xin tangshu). The figure wears a garment with the left panel covering the right hand side, a girdle and boots. He carries on his back a traveling bag, holding in the left hand a jar. He leans forward as if walking. During the Tang dynasty Dashi was the nickname…

This water container, kendi or kundika, is used by Buddhist monks. To make an underglaze-red ware, the craftsman first painted the biscuit with pigment rich in copper oxides and then applied with a layer of transparent glaze before firing at hight temeratures. After firing, the painted part shows red color while the unpainted parts remain white. Because the red color is beneath the glaze layer, this type of porcelain ware is referred to as “underglaze red”. In contrast with the white background, the bright red color delights and excites the…

In the Yongzheng era, under the joint supervision of Nian Xiyao and Tang Ying, the imperial kiln at Jingdezhen tremendously improved the skill on copper-red coloring. The red color is bright and beautiful, with clear lines to form the underglazed patterns. The exterior bears a floral pattern painted in underglazed cobalt blue. The shape of the jar originated in the Xuande era (1426-1435). The overall arrangement of the design is precise while the glaze layer is even, transparent, and pure. This is an outstanding example of Yongzheng-era porcelain.

This plate has a rimmed mouth and flat bottom. Except for the foot, its body is covered with blue glaze. The center of the interior has a flying dragon with a slim neck and three claws. Presently, as far as is known, only four blue plates with a white dragon made in the Yuan dynasty are extant. They are respectively in the collections of the Palace Museum, Japan’s Idemitus Museum of Arts, Museum of Oriental Ceramics in Osaka, and Percival David Foundation in London.

The teapot has a contracted mouth, an oblate body, a short and straight spout, and a rectangular handle. Given a hint of foot ring, its flat bottom bears the Yongzheng six-character seal mark in underglaze blue and white. The white glaze appears on the spout and mouth because the glaze is thin. Its simplicity of form and absence of decoration were endorsed by the emperor. This porcelain masterpiece, with the harmonious, elliptic dome shape and the clear, geometric lines of handle and spout, was an object for both use and…

The warming bowl is filled with hot water to warm wine contained in the ewer. This kind of wine set can be found in paintings datable to the early period of the Five Dynasties (907-960). According to the excavated wine vessels and the Song dynasty archive, ewer and warming bowl were widely used in the Northern Song dynasty (960-1127).

Zhongkui is a legendary character in China. In this statue, he is sitting against rocks and wearing a soft black hat, a red ceremonial robe with golden lines as well as dragon and cloud patterns, a yellow silk sash and black boots with white soles. His left arm is resting against a wine jar that imitates an imperial style of the Song dynasty (960-1279). The right hand is holding a cup. Zhongkui’s closed eyes reveal that he is drunk and enjoying himself. At his back is a red bottle with…

While unglazed vessels used to make Yongzheng-era enamel porcelain primarily came from Jingdezhen kilns, some were recycled from leftover ceramics with scraffito décor and plane white glaze from the Yongle era (1403-1424). A seal on the interior of the bowl bears a stamp that indicates a Yongle era of production but the exterior foot bears a peach-shape seal that reveals the bowl’s actual identity as a Yongzheng-era work. This combination of seals is rarely seen among Yongzheng-era enamel ceramics.

This water container is covered with lujun glaze, a blue glaze featuring unpredictable changes from firing conditions. It has a flaring mouth and a sagging stomach. The center of the foot ring is incised with a four-character Yongzheng reign mark in seal script (li shu). The lujunglaze, which is a low-temperature flambé, needs to be fired twice. An imitation of the Song dynasty Jun glaze, it was innovated by the imperial kiln at Jingdezhen in the Yongzheng reign. The extant wares and archives reveal that the lujun glaze with Yongzheng…

This water container has a contracted neck and a round stomach tapering to the foot ring. Its broad shoulder is decorated with a circle of veiled patterns in the form of the heads of ruyi scepters. The stomach has dragon patterns, while above the foot ring is a circle of lotus. A four-character Qianlong reign mark is written in blue on the foot. This object is outstanding because of its even glaze, elegant color, and ingenious design.

The inkstick rest is designed as a couch made of mottled bamboo. Its green edges and feet are decorated with brown and yellow flecks, resembling the patterns of fresh mottled bamboo. The surface has a polychrome painting of a bird among flowers, while the reverse bears a red mark in seal script (zhuan shu), reading “Jiuwan Mountain Lodge.” With a cunning shape and tender colors, the object provides a natural sense, and would have been an elegant item for the scholar’s table.

The round brushpot has a straight sides and a bottom with a small hole in the center. One side of the exterior wall depicts an exuberant scene of two flourishing stalks of bamboo sprouting new leaves. The artist adds green and umber to create a strong and free style. The other side bears a poetic couplet in cursive script:   Finally reaching the metamorphosis of the divine dragon,   Still retaining the song of the brilliant phoenix. It is complemented by two red seals in seal script (zhuan shu): xi (west) and…

In the Yongzheng reign gold paint and famille rose colors were an important innovation that built on the existing Ming dynasty techniques of underglaze cobalt blue and overglaze polychrome. In addition to red, yellow and green glazes, the body is also decorated with rose-red, a rare pigment that emphasizes the attractiveness of the interlocking floral designs.

The wine is filled from the bottom through a hole and poured out from the hornless dragon shaped spout. When filled, the pot is put upside down. When pouring, the pot is restored to normal position.

Porcelain with famille rose The lotus-leaf-shaped plate has curved edges and feet in design of a red water nut and a blue river snail. On one side, a stem leans on the surface of the leaf. The rim of the plate is attached with a lotus and a seedpod of lotus holding movable seeds. The bottom bears a blue-and-white four-character Qianlong reign mark. The so-called “citron plate” is a small fruit plate placed in the scholar’s studio. It usually holds perfumed fruit including yellow citrons and “Buddha hand” fruit. The…

This brush washer has a contracted mouth and a foot ring. Its interior is covered with white glaze, while the exterior has glaze in peach bloom color with tiny green spots. The bottom is glazed white and painted with reign mark in regular script (kai shu). Fired at high temperature, peach blossom glaze is a precious type of the copper-red glaze popular in the Kangxi reign. The wares are divided into three grades: the first is “big red gown”; the second grade is called “drunken lady” or “lady pattern” because…

The bowl with a slightly flared mouth-rim, curved body and a foot ring is covered with a white glaze on the inside. A plum tree with its trunk extending horizontally and delicate red and white flowers is painted on the yellow ground on the outside. Inscribed on one side are two lines of a poem: “People say that the flowers are as white as snow, but do not know that they send forth fragrance.” Above the poem is a seal impression of two characters, meaning “Heralding spring.” Below it are…

To make an underglaze-red porcelain ware, the craftsman first painted the biscuit with pigment rich in copper oxides and then applied with a layer of transparent glaze before firing at high temperatures. After firing, the painted parts turn red while the unpainted parts remain white. Because the red color is beneath the glaze layer, this type of porcelain ware is referred to as “underglaze red”. Symbolizing wealth and elegance, peonies are one of the most popular traditional floral motifs. With pure and lustrous glaze, the bowl typifies the underglaze-red porcelain…

In the interior bottom of the basin, eight lotus petals encircle a medallion flower. Each petal contains one of the miscellaneous treasure emblems. The basin was designed after the Western Asian style. Imported from West Asia, the cobalt pigment shows different tones of blue.

The vase is in imitation of a Han dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE) bronze vessel. Each side of its high foot ring is pierced with an oblong hole for lacing. The thick, unctuous glaze in powder blue has the feeling of softly-polished jade. The vase has a subtle decoration: seven bowstrings rise from the stomach up to the neck. Most of the vase is covered in a pattern of large crackle that was induced during firing. The elegant shape and large-size crackle pattern exemplify Guan ware in the Song…

The vase is decorated with a painting of blue-and-white lotus flowers carrying the eight Buddhist emblems, accompanied by ruyi-shaped cloud motifs. Classic and unassuming in form, the vase has symmetrical ears on either side. This beautiful vase was used as a decorative object in the imperial court.

This blue-and-white vase bears a design of two dragons vying for a pearl, above a seascape and rectangular spirals around the foot. “Award vases” such as this one were specially made for the emperor to present as prizes to his subjects. First made during the Yongzheng era, this type of vase was more often decorated with interlocking lotus design rather than with a dragon-among-cloud design.

The ewer was made in the Longquan kiln complex in south China’s Zhejiang province. It has a pear-shaped body, a flaring lip, a long and curving spout, and a foot ring. Such ewers, characterized by sleek lines, are poetically named “spring-in-jade jar” (yuhuchun ping). A carved panel links the neck with the upper part of the spout. In the Yuan dynasty, ewers were used for pouring wine. Under the celadon glaze on the clay body, the ewer is carved with a design depicting garden scenery: balustrades, banana trees, lake rocks,…

In the form of a begonia blossom, this porcelain container was made to hold a flowerpot. It has a trumpet mouth with emphatic rim, a gradually tapering body and a flat bottom with four cloud-scroll feet. On the bottom are five round holes and three inscriptions including eight characters in regular script (kai shu) and the character si (four), presumably indicating size and place of use. The inside wall is covered with white glaze, while the outside has thin and smooth rose-purple glaze with some patterns that suggest the lines…

The Ru kilns are located in Qingliangsi, Baofeng county, Henan province The delicate glaze color of the bowl resembles the sky reflected in water. Some seven hundred years later, the Qianlong Emperor (r. 1736-1795) of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) composed a poem out of admiration for this bowl. It is engraved at the exterior bottom. Of the two surviving bowls made in the Ru kiln, one is in the collection of the Palace Museum, and the other is kept by Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art in Britain.

The distinguishing features of this type of vase include a flaring mouth, a thin neck, a large belly, and a circular foot. The blue-and-white painting depicts banana plants, lake rocks, bamboo balustrades, and honeysuckle. Few works dating to the Xianfeng era survive, thereby making this vase a precious work.