Water Pot
1101 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This water pot is an example of Ding ware, made in the Hebei province of China during the Northern Song dynasty (960-1127). Ding wares were of the earliest true porcelains made in China, and the world. The term porcelain is applied to ceramics made from a mixture containing a clay called kaolin and a white stone called petuntse which was fired at high temperatures. Porcelains differ from other ceramics in their impermeability, whiteness and fine texture.
Ding wares can be differentiated from other porcelains by their warm, ivory-white hue. While many Ding ware objects were made using moulds, this water pot's decorative features were added by hand, and the fingerprints of the potter can still be seen in the four feet on the base. There is also a mark indicating that it was ‘made in the Jianzhong year’, the year of that Emperor’s short reign in 1101AD.
Ding wares can be differentiated from other porcelains by their warm, ivory-white hue. While many Ding ware objects were made using moulds, this water pot's decorative features were added by hand, and the fingerprints of the potter can still be seen in the four feet on the base. There is also a mark indicating that it was ‘made in the Jianzhong year’, the year of that Emperor’s short reign in 1101AD.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Stoneware, glazed |
| Brief description | Waterpot, incised stoneware with copper-bound rim, Ding ware, China, Northern Song dynasty, 1101 |
| Physical description | Ding ware. It has an ivory-white glaze with 'tear-drops'. On the base is a roughly inscribed mark in black ink. The mark says 'made in the Jianzhong year'. |
| Dimensions |
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| Styles | |
| Credit line | Purchased with Art Fund support, the Vallentin Bequest, Sir Percival David and the Universities China Committee |
| Summary | This water pot is an example of Ding ware, made in the Hebei province of China during the Northern Song dynasty (960-1127). Ding wares were of the earliest true porcelains made in China, and the world. The term porcelain is applied to ceramics made from a mixture containing a clay called kaolin and a white stone called petuntse which was fired at high temperatures. Porcelains differ from other ceramics in their impermeability, whiteness and fine texture. Ding wares can be differentiated from other porcelains by their warm, ivory-white hue. While many Ding ware objects were made using moulds, this water pot's decorative features were added by hand, and the fingerprints of the potter can still be seen in the four feet on the base. There is also a mark indicating that it was ‘made in the Jianzhong year’, the year of that Emperor’s short reign in 1101AD. |
| Bibliographic reference | Kerr, Rose. Song Dynasty Ceramics. London: V&A Publications, 2004.
p. 44, nos. 36 and 36a |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.846-1936 |
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| Record created | February 24, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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