Chinese, Jingdezhen
Vase, 19th century
Glazed stoneware , 45.7 x 18.1 cm (18 x 7 1/8 in.)
This reddish brown porcelain Chinese 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 a particularly light area, decorative forms can be detected, including a continuous line that forms a free hand, scalloped, decorative circle around the vessel at its widest point. The vase sits on a separate, round, dark, wooden base that is slightly larger than the vessel. This base is carved to have a solid depression where the vase rests and a decorative border below its lip of openwork trellis designs connecting small wooden feet.
Yellow Room
Commentary
This vase was made in Jingdezhen, a city in southeastern China, located on the south bank of the Chang River. Jingdezhen is said to have produced ceramics as early as the 6th century CE. Today, the name is virtually synonymous with ceramics, and porcelain in particular. Jingdezhen potters greatly advanced porcelain techniques, and this vase is an example of a monochrome porcelain, which became popular with both Chinese and foreign buyers. It is produced by incorporating a higher concentration of iron oxide to darken the color of the glaze. The shape of this vase is known as a Guanyin vessel, referring to the Bodhisattva Guanyin who is often depicted carrying a vessel of a similar shape.