Chinese, Jingdezhen
Vase, 19th century
Glazed stoneware, 45.7 x 18.1 cm (18 x 7 1/8 in.)
This black porcelain vase is rounded, tall, and narrow. It has a small round opening leading to a slightly narrower, long neck that widens into the tall, rounded body of the vessel. It is slightly narrower at the bottom than at the shoulder. In some areas, traces of decorative forms can be detected, including figures, buildings, and trees. The vase sits on a separate low, circular wooden base. This base is carved and has a depression where the vase rests and a decorative border below its lip of openwork trellis designs, connecting to small wooden feet.
Yellow Room
Commentary
This vase is glazed with "mirror-black" or "wujin" glaze. Mirror-black glazed vessels are sometimes produced as monochrome vessels, and sometimes they are decorated with overglaze gold. This vase was once decorated with a landscape composition in gold populated by architectural structures, trees, mountains, human figures, and boats. Overglaze gold decoration is susceptible to wear, and it is likely that a previous owner cleaned this vase of its gold decoration before Isabella Stewart Gardner purchased it.