Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
China, Room 44, The T.T. Tsui Gallery

Vase

1320-1350 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

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.

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read Chinese blue-and-white ceramics Originally invented in China, blue-and-white ceramics were widely circulated, copied and re-created by makers worldwide, becoming one of the most well-known and enduring products in the history of Chinese porcelain.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Porcelain, with decoration in underglaze blue
Brief description
Meiping vase with narrative scenes, porcelain painted in underglaze colbolt blue, China, Jingdezhen, Yuan dynasty, ca. 1320-1350
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.
Dimensions
  • Height: 35.6cm
  • Diameter: 22cm
Style
Gallery label
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)
Subjects depicted
Literary referenceWang Shih Fu <font -u>The West Chamber</u>
Summary
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.
Bibliographic reference
Lu p.332
Collection
Accession number
C.8-1952

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Record createdDecember 15, 1999
Record URL
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