Minneapolis Institute of Art

Pheasant-head ewer

China

Date

10th-11th century

Medium

Guangzhou ware Porcelaneous stoneware with clear glaze over modeled and carved decor

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Tall vases with rilled necks and simple phoenix heads positioned under a flared mouth have been excavated from Liao territory in north China. This type, however, with its relatively strong modeling, long neck, and squat ewer form is associated with Guangdong province in extreme south China. The hard bodied, creamy-white glazed ware often incorporated incised or modeled ornamentation of an exotic bird. The unperforated beak of the bird does not act as a spout, suggesting that the vessel may have functioned as a vase rather than a ewer or possibly it was intended only as a non-functional bural vessel simulating the shape of a ewer. Asia

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