The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 13, 2025
Covered Jar with Carved Lotus Petals
386–581 CE
(386-581)
Lid: 2.8 x 14.1 cm (1 1/8 x 5 9/16 in.); vessel only: 21.8 x 24.3 cm (8 9/16 x 9 9/16 in.)
Gift of Donna and James Reid 2017.16
Location: 241B Arts of Ancient China
Description
This jar still has its original cover, which is rare among surviving examples. Its missing knob most likely had the shape of a lotus bud. Beautifully carved lotus petals cover the vessel’s shoulder and lid under a translucent green glaze. In Buddhism, the lotus is a flower symbolizing purity and detachment from worldly affairs; its presence suggests that this vessel was meant to be used in a religious context. The well-crafted double loop handles may have held a silk cloth or other textile that would have been folded over the lid to keep it in place. This aesthetic prefigures the celebrated green celadons in adjacent regions.- April 8, 1997(Priestley & Ferraro, London, England, 8 April 1997, sold to Donna and James Reid)1997–2017Donna [b. 1931] and James Reid [1926–2020], Cleveland Heights, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art2017–The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- von Spee, Clarissa. "Acquisition Highlights: Asian Art.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine 58. no. 2 (March/April 2018): 10–11. Reproduced and Mentioned: p. 10 archive.org
- Recent Acquisitions. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 17-June 7, 2018).
- {{cite web|title=Covered Jar with Carved Lotus Petals|url=false|author=|year=386–581 CE|access-date=13 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2017.16