Storage Jar
1630-70 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
A major concern of Iranian potters in the Safavid period was to make ceramics in the style of Chinese blue-and-white porcelain. The Chinese wares continued to be imported in great quantities, first by the Portuguese and then, from about 1620, by the Dutch and the British. Some of the Iranian wares consist of close imitations of Chinese originals, even to the point where copies of Chinese maker’s marks appear on the base.
On this small storage jar, flying cranes alternate with ferocious-looking, mythical beasts known as qilins. The motifs are in white on a blue ground, an older style of painting not found on Chinese jars after the middle of the 16th century.
On this small storage jar, flying cranes alternate with ferocious-looking, mythical beasts known as qilins. The motifs are in white on a blue ground, an older style of painting not found on Chinese jars after the middle of the 16th century.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Fritware painted under the glaze |
| Brief description | Storage jar, fritware, underglaze painted in blue and black in imitation of Chinese wares with large mythical beasts of qilin; Iran, 1630-1670. |
| Physical description | Blue and white jar with designs imitating Chinese ceramics, consisting of a scroll running round the small neck and six shoulder panels filled with scrolls around a central flower. Two flying cranes with long meandering split tails alternate with two large ferocious-looking qilins with curly manes, flaming backs and hind legs and tufted tails. The ground is filled with large lotus buds as well as finely lined leaves. Eighteen petal panels make up a band above a base decorated with outlined waves on a white ground. The unglazed bottom has an inner groove. There is no mark. |
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| Style | |
| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Given by Sir Charles Marling KCMG, CB |
| Summary | A major concern of Iranian potters in the Safavid period was to make ceramics in the style of Chinese blue-and-white porcelain. The Chinese wares continued to be imported in great quantities, first by the Portuguese and then, from about 1620, by the Dutch and the British. Some of the Iranian wares consist of close imitations of Chinese originals, even to the point where copies of Chinese maker’s marks appear on the base. On this small storage jar, flying cranes alternate with ferocious-looking, mythical beasts known as qilins. The motifs are in white on a blue ground, an older style of painting not found on Chinese jars after the middle of the 16th century. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 1544-1903 |
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| Record created | March 2, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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