The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 13, 2025

Jar with Dragon and Phoenix Design

1522–66

China, Jiangxi province, Jingdezhen, Ming dynasty

(1368-1644), Jiajing mark and reign (1522-66)
carved lacquer in cinnabar and other colors
Overall: 11.8 cm (4 5/8 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 1972.14
Location: Not on view

Description

A phoenix and dragon alternating with two auspicious ornate characters—“fortune” 福（fu) and “longevity” 壽 (shou)—adorn this exquisitely carved lacquer jar. Similar to contemporary five-color (wucai) decoration on porcelain, this jar shows layers of lacquer in black, ochre, green, and cinnabar (red). In a time-consuming process, a multitude of lacquer coatings were applied to the wooden core before its design could be carved into the surface. The phoenix and dragon are imperial emblems suggesting that this jar was made for the court. The base of the jar is inscribed: “Made in the Jiajing-era of the Great Ming [dynasty].”
  • ?-1972
    (Kochukyo Co., Inc., Tokyo, Japan, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1972-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Garner, Sir Harry Mason. Chinese Lacquer. London: Faber and Faber, 1979. Reproduced: fig. #77, p. 139
    Wilson, J. Keith. "Powerful Form and Potent Symbol: The Dragon in Asia." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 77, no. 8 (1990): 286-323. Referenced: cat. no. 33, p. 321. Reproduced: p. 287, 321 www.jstor.org
    Turner, Evan H. "The Year in Review for 1992." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 80, no. 2 (1993): 38-79. Referenced: cat. no. 304, p. 115 www.jstor.org
  • Power and Possession: Chinese Calligraphy and Inscribed Objects – Chinese Gallery Rotation 240a, 241c. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (August 13, 2018-February 3, 2019).
    Powerful Form and Potent Symbol: The Dragon in Asia. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 24-November 25, 1990).
    Year in Review: 1972. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 27-March 18, 1973).
  • {{cite web|title=Jar with Dragon and Phoenix Design|url=false|author=|year=1522–66|access-date=13 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1972.14