Minneapolis Institute of Art

Burial jar for wine storage, one of a pair

China

Date

12th-13th century

Medium

Qingbai ware Porcelaneous stoneware with appliqué décor under pale blue-gray glaze combined with painted iron-brown details.

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Although smaller and decorated with iron-brown details, this set of burial jars served the same purpose as the two pairs of taller wine containers displayed here. The elaborate iconography of the larger vessels has been reduced to an almost comical dragon and two freely formed figures; one standing, the other reclining. One vessel includes a dog amongst the figures, the other a bird. Squiggly cloud scrolls, emblems for heaven, are attached to the necks of both jars and a bird surmounts each lid. A disk is applied to the neck of each jar inscribed with the characters for sun and moon respectively. Unlike the larger vessels, all the appliqué figures here are hand-built rather than mold-made. Underglaze iron-brown details appear in combination with Qingbai glazes as early as the eleventh century. China, Asia

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