The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 29, 2025

Covered Jar

1573–1620
(1368-1644), Wanli reign (1573-1620)
porcelain with blue underglaze decoration and overglaze enamels in red, green, and yellow
Overall: 10.2 cm (4 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 1957.62
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

This jar is painted with 16 figures of all ages enjoying a garden setting.

Description

In the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1911) dynasties, luxury items became more affordable to larger parts of the society, including women, merchants, and literati in non-official positions. Imperial patronage and a growing urban population encouraged consumption of luxury goods and local craftmanship. This covered porcelain jar has blue underglaze and overglaze in red, green and blue enamels. It shows Ming dynasty advancements in porcelain decoration and the creative mind of the talented artisans who made it.
  • Men-Chu Wang, probably Palace Collection, Beijing, China. Seller's No. 107.
    ?–1957
    (Frank Caro [1904–1980], New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1957–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 866 archive.org
    Mayuyama, Junkichi 繭山順吉, ed. Chinese Ceramics in the West: Compendium of Chinese Ceramic Masterpieces in European and American Collection 欧米蒐蔵中国陶磁図錄. Tokyo: Mayuyama & Co, 1960. Reproduced: pl. 108
    Lee, Sherman E. A History of Far Eastern Art. New York: H.N. Abrams, 1964. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 409, colorplate no 41
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 267 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 267 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 354 archive.org
    Lion-Goldschmidt, Daisy. Ming Porcelain. London: Thames and Hudson, 1978. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 199, no. 196
    Sporre, Dennis J. The Creative Impulse: An Introduction to the Arts. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2000. Reproduced: p. 371, no. 12.19
    Sporre, Dennis J. The Creative Impulse: An Introduction to the Arts. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2003.
  • China through the Magnifying Glass: Masterpieces in Miniature and Detail. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 11, 2022-February 26, 2023).
  • {{cite web|title=Covered Jar|url=false|author=|year=1573–1620|access-date=29 April 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1957.62