Museum

During the Southern Dynasties, the shape of celadon became more functional. This vessel’s flared mouth was bigger than the similar type in Eastern Jin (317-420), the neck was taller, and the body became more slender. The proportion of each part is harmonious, and the line of body is very elegant. The lower center of gravity of the vessel makes it more stable and easier to carry.

During the Northern dynasties, China had much communication with central Asia and the regions of India, therefore western decorative styles such as the Lianzhu necklace pattern, and honeysuckle leaf pattern, frequently appeared on porcelain. Figures from the west also became one of the decorative motifs. These all show the cultural and ethnic melding between China and west in this historical period.

This piece of stem cup is in pure white with fine glaze, and can be regarded as the true white porcelain. White porcelain succeeded in the Sui dynasty (581-618), 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 times shows important progress: the quality of glaze improved, and the early flaws such as yellow or green color within white porcelain disappeared.

With fine glaze, celadon ware was the main product during the Sui dynasty (581-618). In terms of vessel shape, Sui dynasty celadon ware was developed from the style of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, but with additional creations as well. This vase was evolved from the vase with dish-shaped mouth of the Northern Dynasty (386-534), but the neck was made thinner and longer, and the body expanded into an ovoid shape.

There are four types of patterns applied to the body of the jar: flowers, grass leaves, coiled dragons, and animal masks. This was made first with separated moulds for each relief pattern, and then pasting these onto the raw body of the vessel. Finally a glaze layer was applied on top and then the vessel was fired in the kiln. The glaze suggests that this piece is a product from the Huainan kiln of Anhui province.

A new type of eating vessel, this kind of bowl was invented in the Tang dynasty, and was named after the bottom that imitates the jade disk. The bowl was widely produced in both the northern and the southern kilns, generally in celadon or white glaze. The disk-shaped bottom is shallow and wide, sometimes without glaze in the concave part in the middle. This bowl shared a similar style with other plates with disk-shaped bottom and flared mouths.

This is a water vessel for washing hands. The Yue kiln in the Tang period had a huge scale of porcelain production for its products were very popular. Yue wares were praised as “jade” and “ice” and the Yue kiln was regarded as the top amongst the Tang dynasty kilns. There are 14 pieces of Yue celadon wares unearthed in 1987 from the tomb of Famen temple at Fufeng of Shaanxi province. The inscription on a stele describes them as of “mysterious porcelain color”. One of them was identical to…

This blue-and-white jar has a canopy-shaped lid. The panels of the neck have paintings of longevity peaches and characters for longevity,show, as well as a rectangular panel that contains in regular script the characters “Palace of Earthly Tranquility (Kunning gong) sacrificial ware”. It was made during the Xuantong era by the imperial kilns at Jingdezhen specially for ceremonial use in the Palace of Earthly Tranquility.

White on the interior and familie rose on the exterior, this covered bowl is decorated with branches of plum blossom accompanied by auspicious clouds. The foot and the interior of the lid handle both bear the inscription “Shende Tang zhi”. Shende Tang was the temporarily dwelling palace of the Daoguang Emperor at the Garden of Perfect Brightness (Yuanming yuan); this work was made for use at the palace.

This four-sided vase is covered in mineral green glaze on its interior and a light green glaze with famille rose floral design on its exterior. The neck of the vase has roundels with flowers of the four seasons while the sides have rectangular panels that display auspicious birds and flowers. This type of vase was made for decorative display in the imperial residences.

This wast vessel (zha dou) is glazed white on the interior and yellow on the exterior with circular gold longevity (shou) characters, blue Buddhist emblems, and red bats (fu) placed in between. The design varies in density and as a whole signifies the phrase “to enjoy both happiness and longevity” (fushou shuangquan). This waste vessel was made to celebrate the longevity of the Empress Dowager Cixi.

This flowerpot and matching stand are circular in shape with white glazed interiors and light yellow exteriors with famille-rose banana plants, peonies, and pines. The exterior bottom of both the flowerpot and the pot stand bear an inscription that indicates the work was made for the Hall of Harmonious Conduct (Tihe dian), the place where the Empress Dowager Cixi took her meals.

Both the interior and exterior of this basin are glazed in a mineral green pigment with famille rose painting of wisteria. On the high pedestal a single gold ring in low relief floats above a painting of water and cliffs. Below the mouth of the basin is a three-character regular script inscription that translates to “Studio of the Great Refinement” (Daya zhai). Adjacent to it is another inscription in seal script that translates into “Spring both in heaven and on earth”. This kind of porcelain was made during the Guangxu…

The vase is glazed in white with elegant polychrome bird-and-flower decorations. The foot of the vase bears the inscription “Made in the third year of Qing Xuantong era [1911] by the Hunan Porcelain Company”. The Hunan Porcelain Company was established in the thirty-second year of the Guangxu reign (1906).

This brush holder is made in the form of bamboo joints. The interior of the foot is glazed light yellow while the exterior walls are carved with orchids, chrysanthemums, and plum blossoms. In color and form, this brush holder closely resembles actual bamboo. A pleasant effect is created by the fresh and fluid carvings combined with the even color.

“Ground tea leaf” or “tea-dust” glaze got its name from its resemblance to finely ground tea leaves. This incense burner imitates ancient bronze ware through its use of glaze and form such as the ear rings on either side. It is suffused with an air of antiquity.

The distinguishing features of this ware include a flaring mouth, a thin neck, a large belly, and a circular foot. Since the Daoguang reign, many red glazes resembling the color of kidney beans emerged and were appropriately named “kidney-bean red glaze”. The glaze characteristically ranges from thick to thin.

This rectangular-shape vase has symmetrical loop ears and is covered in an irregular iridescent glaze that is transformed in the kiln. By the late Qing, most glazes of this kind were red in hue with specks of black shining through. This type of glaze served as the foundation for the present-day glaze from Jingdezhen called “spring comes in full form” (sanyang kaitai).

This vase imitates the tubular form of an ancient jade cong. Glazed in a pale celadon color, this rectangular-shape vessel has four sides that allow for the display of the Eight Trigrams of the Daoist tradition. Simple and straightforward, the vessel is tasteful in both shape and color.

This blue-and-white plate is painted with birds and flowers. The interior walls are decorated with eight brocade-ground openings which contain paintings of flowers and fruit. Panels on the exterior walls contain paintings of glossy ganoderma (a type of Chinese medicine). In the late Ming, large quantities of blue-and-white porcelain that embodied a combination of exotic styles were produced for export.

The beaker vase is derived from a wine container used in ancient times. It might be used with the jue cup, as they were frequently excavated as paired sets from tombs at Anyang, capital of the late Shang dynasty (1600-1028 BCE). This is a porcelain imitation of the bronze beaker vase typical of the Shang and Zhou dynasties (1027-256 BCE). For display only, it is decorated with the auspicious design of dragons, phoenixes and clouds. A six-character reign mark reading “Made in the Wanli reign of the great Ming” (Da…

The round box is decorated with the popular motif of children, altogether sixteen, at play in the courtyard. The life scene conveys people’s longing for continuous family lineage, which was considered good fortune in traditional Chinese society.

Fish with weeds are Chinese people’s favorite decorative design, for the Chinese word for “fish” (yu) is a homophone of that for “abundance” (yu). The carp with clearly painted scales and fins swimming amidst lotuses, duckweed, and weeds are vividly presented in polychrome colors over the glaze and the blue color beneath the glaze. The lidded jar is a masterpiece among the polychrome (wuchi) porcelain wares with underglazed blue color made in the official kilns of the Jiajing reign.

The lingzhi fungus is traditionally regarded as an omen of stable society and thriving business. Peaches are gifts for birthday congratulations. The peach trees are auspicious symbols of longevity. Together, they form a Chinese character for “longevity” (shou). Such motif is widely used on polychrome porcelain wares dating to the Jiajing reign, which is closely associated with his Daoist belief.

The four horses flying in clouds over the sea convey the wish for expelling evil and embracing auspiciousness. Red and green are dominant colors on polychrome (wucai) porcelain wares dating to the Jiajing reign, while black and yellow are only of supplementary decorative use to give a contrasting effect with the two major colors.

The vase has a garlic-shaped mouth. Fish with weeds are Chinese people’s favorite decorative design, for the Chinese word for “fish” (yu) is a homophone of that for “abundance” (yu). A decorative works of art, such big polychrome porcelain ware was new invention of the Wanli reign.

This loop-handled pot was a teapot in the imperial court during the Wanli reign. Mandarin ducks in a lotus pond are painted on the stomach.

The Chinese word for gourd (hu lu) is a homophone of “fortune” (fu) and “wealth” (lu). It is the very reason that Chinese people are particularly fond of gourds and created gourd-shaped vases. A wall vase usually has holes on the flat back for hanging on the wall or attached to the sedan. It is a new type of porcelain wares of the Wanli reign.

A piece of porcelain wares with decoration in contrasting colors (doucai) combines blue decoration beneath the glaze and polychrome decoration over the glaze. Vessels of this type are first fired at high temperature with outlines of the target patterns painted in cobalt blue pigment beneath the transparent glaze layer, then filled in with polychrome pigments over the glaze layer and re-fired at low temperatures. The cup displayed here has a thin and light body. Overglaze colors include red, yellow, and green. The cup is named after the round clouds patterns…

A vajra cross decorate the interior bottom of the cup, with a Sanskrit character written at the center. Eight stylized lotus petals encircle the vajra cross, each containing a Sanskrit character. Four groups of flowers with branches are painted in contrasting colors on the outside wall. Both the shape and decoration pattern of the cup were innovation of the Chenghua reign. Porcelain wares with Sanskrit inscriptions were probably used at Buddhist ceremonies in the Ming imperial court.

Yixing Kiln is located in Yixing, Jiangsu province. Ming dynasty Yixing wares imitating the Song dynasty (960-1279) Jun wares are characterized with sky-blue or sky-blue with a grayish tint glaze color. The most precious glaze type is grayish blue. This water dropper takes the form of a peach, with the opening at the top point of the fruit. White and orange speckles are densely distributed on the grayish-blue glaze surface.

Guang Kiln is located in Foshan, Guangdong province. The Guang kiln complex is located at Shiwan town, Foshan city, Guangdong province. For this reason, it is also known as Shiwan kiln complex. Guang wares are notably characterized by fine clay bodies and glaze imitating that of the Jun wares of the Song dynasty. It is for this reason that such wares are conventionally called “clay Jun wares” (ni jun). Frequently, Shiwan vessels are blue glazed throughout the body. The vase displayed here is decorated with two hydra tigers in relief….

Yixing Kiln is located in Yixing, Jiangsu province. The prunus vase (mei ping) is characterized with tall proportions, wide shoulders, narrow foot, and short and contracting neck that can barely hold a single branch of prunus blossom. Yixing kilns are most famous for zisha wares. The vase displayed here is moon white in color with tiny crackles on the surface and the applied motif of lotus flowers on the stomach.

The Kangxi reign saw the success of making underglaze-red porcelain ware. Under the transparet glaze layer, the urn is painted in red with the design of dragons playing with a flaming pearl. The pupils of the dragons were painted with cobalt blue. The two dragons soar vigorously, looking valiant.

The Cishan culture is named after the village of Cishan, in Wu’an county, Hebei province, where the first finds of this type were made in 1972. It dates to the Northern China Middle Neolithic, 6000-5600 BC. The two rim rings are for ease of hanging or carrying with a cord.

  A yu can be used to serve food or water, and can be heated when raised above a fire on a pedestal. The sand temper increased resistance to temperature transfer, both hot and cold. The Cishan culture is named after the village of Cishan, in Wu’an county, Hebei province, where the first finds of this type were made in 1972. Among Cishan culture’s pottery assemblage, this cooking vessel with pedestal is very characteristic.

The formation of the grey pottery is due to firing in a reducing (low oxygen) atmosphere and the ferric oxide in the clay is unable to be fully oxidized. This culture is named after the village of Cishan, in Wu’an county, Hebei province, where the first finds of this type were made in 1972. It dates to the Northern China Middle Neolithic, 6000-5600 BC.

Formed by the coil method, this bowl is a typical type among the Cishan assemblage. The coil method is one of the most ancient ways to make pottery. First the clay is rolled into a cord, then the cord of clay is wound around into the basic vessel shape, which is then smoothed and pressed together with watery clay. The irregular shape and uneven wall thickness is characteristic of this method.

This bottle was made by hand and the wall is in uneven thickness. This is a common type in the Cishan culture. The Cishan culture is named after the village of Cishan, in Wu’an county, Hebei province, where the first finds of this type were made in 1972. It dates to the Northern China Middle Neolithic, 6000-5600 BC. Judging by the fabric and shape of this bottle, we suppose this was used as a water vessel.

The rim and body of this bowl are painted with a simple black ripple pattern. The Neolithic people usually chose terraces on the south of the river to settle. This ripple pattern is thought to be a reflection of their daily view of water. Majiayao culture (Majiayao type), 3100-2700 BCE, is a Late Neolithic culture, mainly distributed in Gansu and Qinghai regions.

The inkstone is a tool for grinding ink. Together with brush, ink, and paper, it comprises the “four treasures in the study”. This inkstone is classified into the biyong style. Biyong originally is the name of the college founded by the emperor of the ancient Zhou dynasty (1027-256 BCE). Later it was the name of the main building in Imperial Academy of Learning (Guozi jian) initialed by the Sui dynasty emperor in the early 7th century. Water surrounds the building where the emperor gave lectures. This is an inkstone made…

This jar has a regular shape. The four animal feet distinguish it from other Yue wares. During the Tang dynasty, Yue celadon had fine clay body, evenly applied glaze, and various shapes. Yue wares were praised as “jade” and “ice”. The porcelain workshops of the Yue kiln were located in Shangyu, Yuyao, and Ningbo in Zhejiang province.

Song dynasty Guan wares are either with large cracks in the case of thick glaze layer or with smaller cracks in the case of thin glaze layer. Containing much iron in the biscuit, the unglazed foot of the Guan ware, usually appear in dark brown or dark purple, is described as the “iron foot”.

The vase imitates the bronze ritual ware in Western Zhou dynasty (1027 – 771 BCE). The tiny cracks all around the vase create a tranquil and dignified quality. Gu wares are usually coated with thick glaze in tranquil color. The biscuit, containing large amount of ferric oxide, would turn to brownish purple at the mouth rim, because the celadon glaze falls down during firing process so that the biscuit is exposed in the heat.

The shape, glaze color, and cracks of this celadon plate indicate a typical Ge ware. Products from some famous kilns in the Song dynasty, such as the Guan, Ge, and Longquan kilns, are usually characterized with dark brown bottom. The so-called “iron foot” is resulted from chemical changes of the unglazed bottom during the firing process, since the biscuit contains a large amount of iron.