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Vase

Vase

  • Place of origin:

    Jingdezhen, China (made)

  • Date:

    1320-1350 (made)

  • Artist/Maker:

    unknown (maker)

  • Materials and Techniques:

    Porcelain, with decoration in underglaze blue

  • Museum number:

    C.8-1952

  • Gallery location:

    China, room 44, case 27

  • Download image

The Yuan (1271-1368) is the dynasty when China was ruled by Mongol emperors. Kilns became bigger to take advantage of economy of scale and were managed by competent entrepreneurs. Some kilns active in the preceding decades ceased production, but the Longquan, Jun and Cizhou kilns continued their success, Jingdezhen became an important ceramic producer. Yuan dynasty ceramics are as popular among collectors as their Song dynasty predecessors. The figurative subject of the vase is taken from Xi Xiang Ji The Story of the West Chamber and demonstrates the growing popularity of depicting illustrations on ceramic objects during the Jin and Yuan dynasties (1115-1368). This vase was originally used to store alcohol.

Physical description

Vase; porcelain, with underglaze blue decoration. This was originally a lidded jar for storing alcohol. It is decorated with figurative scenes, specifically the play The West Chamber, China's finest love story.

Place of Origin

Jingdezhen, China (made)

Date

1320-1350 (made)

Artist/maker

unknown (maker)

Materials and Techniques

Porcelain, with decoration in underglaze blue

Dimensions

Height: 35.6 cm, Diameter: 22 cm

Descriptive line

Meiping vase with narrative scenes, porcelain painted in underglaze colbolt blue, China, Jingdezhen, Yuan dynasty, ca. 1320-1350

Exhibition History

Passion for Porcelain: Ceramic Masterpieces from the British Museum and V&A (National Museum of China, Beijing 22/06/2012-06/01/2013)

Labels and date

Vase (meiping) with a scene from The West Chamber
Yuan dynasty
1320-1350
Jingdezhen kilns, south China

The West Chamber is a love story. This particular scene, in which a mistress beats her maid, would have been immediately recognisable to a 14th-century viewer.

Porcelain painted in cobalt blue
Museum no. C.8-1952
From the W.W. Winkworth collection [2007]

Materials

Porcelain

Techniques

Glazing

Subjects depicted

Zhang; Cui Yingying; Madame Zheng

Categories

Containers; Drinking; Vases

Collection code

EAS

Download image
Qr_O17110
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