Art Institute of Chicago

Jar with the Four Accomplishments: Painting, Calligraphy, Music, Strategy

China

Date

Ming dynasty (1368–1644), 15th century

Medium

Porcelain painted in underglaze blue

Culture

China

Department

Arts of Asia

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

This porcelain jar is decorated with images of The Four Accomplishments – qin (music), qi (the game of Go), shu (calligraphy), and hua (painting). In ancient China, mastery of these elegant skills was deemed essential for the ideal scholarly gentleman to signify sophistication and education. Consequently, motifs of The Four Accomplishments frequently appear in paintings and on decorative objects. Notably, this jar showcases women partaking in these scholarly pursuits that were traditionally associated with men, likely reflecting the rise of learned women during the Ming Dynasty.

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