Pickle Jar thumbnail 1
Pickle Jar thumbnail 2
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Ceramics, Room 137, The Curtain Foundation Gallery

Pickle Jar

1965 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This pickle jar was made in Rongchang, a city in southwestern China's Sichuan province, in 1965. The body was made of stoneware covered with a coat of ochre slip, cut and incised to form a decoration of floral scrolling and peonies; it was then glazed with the exception of the interior, the lid and the underside of the cover.

The jar shows an important aesthetic orientation in modern Chinese design: the search for an 'authentic' decorative language derived from the folk-life of the 'masses' rather than the tastes of the imperial court or the scholar bureaucrats. This type of Sichuan ceramic ware can be considered one of the most successful attempts to create a traditional style.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 3 parts.

  • Jar
  • Lid
  • Lid
Materials and techniques
Glazed stoneware
Brief description
Jar for pickles, glazed stoneware, Rongchang (China), 1965
Dimensions
  • Height: 25cm
Production
Rongchang, Sichuan Province, CHINA
Guihua Ceramics Factory, Peng county
Subjects depicted
Summary
This pickle jar was made in Rongchang, a city in southwestern China's Sichuan province, in 1965. The body was made of stoneware covered with a coat of ochre slip, cut and incised to form a decoration of floral scrolling and peonies; it was then glazed with the exception of the interior, the lid and the underside of the cover.

The jar shows an important aesthetic orientation in modern Chinese design: the search for an 'authentic' decorative language derived from the folk-life of the 'masses' rather than the tastes of the imperial court or the scholar bureaucrats. This type of Sichuan ceramic ware can be considered one of the most successful attempts to create a traditional style.
Bibliographic reference
Shen Fuwen, 'Sichuan taoqi gongyi' (Chengdu, 1958)
Collection
Accession number
FE.38&A-1989

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Record createdFebruary 12, 2000
Record URL
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