Minneapolis Institute of Art

Pear-shaped Bottle

China

Date

12th century

Medium

Cizhou ware Stoneware with oil-spot glaze

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Used primarily for serving wine during the Jin (1115-1234) and Yuan (1279-1368) dynasties, the distinctive form of pear-shaped bottles seem to have originated in eleventh century silver vessels which were imitated in ceramic at the Ding kilns of north China. The rare oil-spot glaze of this bottle was developed earlier at the Jian kilns in Fujian province during the Northern Song (960-1127). The dark brown-black glaze is covered with an oil-spot pattern comprised of numerous rust-brown spots each with a silvery metallic fleck in the center. After the first coat of glaze had dried, a solution rich in iron compounds was applied to create the desired silvery brown oil spots upon firing. Asia

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