Salt Dish
ca. 1580-1620 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This salt dish was produced in the kilns of Jingdezhen in southern China during the Wanli period (1573-1619). At this time many objects were made after European models, which were specially provided by the trading companies to Chinese porcelain factories.
The shape of this piece derives from an English standing salt of about 1580; the decoration is instead a traditional Chinese subject depicting pairs of birds and qilin, one of the four mythical animals in Chinese cosmology.
The shape of this piece derives from an English standing salt of about 1580; the decoration is instead a traditional Chinese subject depicting pairs of birds and qilin, one of the four mythical animals in Chinese cosmology.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Porcelain painted in underglaze blue |
| Brief description | Porcelain salt dish painted in underglaze blue, China, Ming dynasty, ca. 1580-1620 |
| Physical description | Porcelain salt dish, hexagonal, shaped as an English standing salt, each side painted in underglaze blue alternately with a pair of birds and a qilin in a landscape; diaper pattern on the border. The base has four feet shaped as monster heads. |
| Dimensions |
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| Styles | |
| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Salting Bequest |
| Object history | Bequeathed by Mr. George Salting, accessioned in 1910. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This salt dish was produced in the kilns of Jingdezhen in southern China during the Wanli period (1573-1619). At this time many objects were made after European models, which were specially provided by the trading companies to Chinese porcelain factories. The shape of this piece derives from an English standing salt of about 1580; the decoration is instead a traditional Chinese subject depicting pairs of birds and qilin, one of the four mythical animals in Chinese cosmology. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.566-1910 |
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| Record created | October 2, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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