Artwork Page for Jar with Lion-Head Handles

Details / Information for Jar with Lion-Head Handles

Jar with Lion-Head Handles

青花雙獅頭罐

1300s

China, Jiangxi Province, Jingdezhen, Yuan dynasty

(1271–1368)
Medium
porcelain with underglaze painted decoration
Measurements
Diameter of mouth: 15.6 cm (6 1/8 in.); Overall: 39.4 x 37.5 cm (15 1/2 x 14 3/4 in.)
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund 1962.154
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
238 Chinese Ceramics
Print
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Did You Know?

The characters for "palace" and "south" are scratched into the white glaze on the vessel's shoulder, suggesting that it was once kept in a specific location in a palace.

Description

Appreciated for its strong profile, brilliant blue color, and firm delineation of the decorative patterns, this jar is a classic example of Yuan dynasty blue-and-white ware. This type of ware was produced no later than the 1330s for both domestic use (the court and common people alike) and overseas trade. This example testifies to the transmission of artistic ideas and techniques between China and the rest of the great Mongol Empire as a result of trade. The cobalt that was used for the blue underglaze decoration was imported from Iran, likely from Kashan. The band of cloud-collar motifs with phoenixes set against floral grounds, as shown here, is an artistic vocabulary that can also be found in Iranian decorative arts of the Ilkhanid period (1256–1353).
A white porcelain jar with floral blue detailing and a round body widens slightly at the center before a short, narrow neck. A knob like a lion head juts out from either side. A central band features repeated scalloped spade shapes with a flying bird and foliage within. Above and below run floral patterns with more simplified, geometric patterns marking the base and lip of the vessel. Just below the lip run wavelike patterns.

Jar with Lion-Head Handles

1300s

China, Jiangxi Province, Jingdezhen, Yuan dynasty (1271–1368)

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