Minneapolis Institute of Art

Meiping Bottle with Plum Branch Decor

China

Date

13th century

Medium

Jizhou ware Stoneware with decoration reserved in the bisquit against a dark-brown glaze

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Probably used for storing wine, vinegar, soy sauce and other liquids during the Song (960-1279) and Yuan (1280-1368) dynasties, meiping bottles such as this came to be favored in later periods as vases for cut branches of flowering plum as the term, meiping (plum bottle or plum vase) implies. In fact, the term meiping does not appear in pre-Qing (1644-1912) texts. This elegant example of Jizhou stencil decoration displays a cut branch of flowering plum on each side of the bottle. The details of the pistils were brushed in with brown slip on the bisquit reserve and, as was typical in this technique, the resist portions of the design were coated with a thin application of clear glaze for protection. China, Asia

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