Cabinet L: Shelf 2
Blue-and-White Porcelain and Stoneware
Blue-and-white ware is named for a cobalt blue pigment used in its decoration. The pure white body provided by porcelain serves as a brilliant contrast for varying shades of striking cobalt blue paint, which is applied directly on the body; when fired, the vitrified surface looks as if it has been coated with a clear glaze. This technique was first developed at the Jingdezhen kilns in southeast China in the Yuan dynasty (1279–1368), when trade routes with western Asia were active and cobalt could be imported from Persia, although indigenous sources were later discovered. Jingdezhen has continued to dominate the production of Chinese blue-and-white ware down to modern times. These beautiful wares were later replicated in other Asian and European ceramics.
Much of the earliest Chinese blue-and-white pottery has been found outside the country with decoration that suggests it catered to foreign rather than domestic tastes, supporting the theory that it was at first created primarily for export. Making its way to Southeast Asia in the fourteenth century, blue-and-white ware informed Vietnamese pottery traditions. It became popular in Japan during the seventeenth century, when Arita porcelain factories located on the Southern island of Kyûshû produced much of these wares. Like in China, many Japanese porcelains were made for export to Western markets through the Dutch East India Company. Later, as domestic demand increased, designs drew more heavily on Japanese themes and tradition. Chinese blue-and-white ware has also informed Thai (Sawankhalok) and Dutch Delft ceramic traditions.
![It has a long, thin neck and flat oval body. The wide foot is rather shallow but deeply recessed on the underside. The entire of surface is decorated with peony blossom design printed in cobalt blue sigment.<br />
<br />
This is a long-necked white porcelain bottle with peony sprays wrapping around the entire body. The white porcelain background is bright in colour, while the light and dark contrasts of the peony pattern give its flowers a three-dimensional appearance. There are sand spur marks on the foot, and on the outer base are incised symbols. Such marks are found in the waste deposits of kilns in Bunwonri, Gwangju-gun, Gyeonggi-do at the end of the 19th century. The mouth has been severed lost. This is a high-quality white porcelain bottle, with well sintered clay and glaze, but the rim has been severed and lost.<br />
[Korean Collection, University of Michigan Museum of Art (2014) p.179]](/media/W1siZiIsIjIwMjAvMDcvMTAvNnI2MHA1MW1meF9kZWZhdWx0LmpwZyJdLFsicCIsInRodW1iIiwiMjQweDIwMCJdXQ?sha=e4f16058a057cd98 "It has a long, thin neck and flat oval body. The wide foot is rather shallow but deeply recessed on the underside. The entire of surface is decorated with peony blossom design printed in cobalt blue sigment.<br />
<br />
This is a long-necked white porcelain bottle with peony sprays wrapping around the entire body. The white porcelain background is bright in colour, while the light and dark contrasts of the peony pattern give its flowers a three-dimensional appearance. There are sand spur marks on the foot, and on the outer base are incised symbols. Such marks are found in the waste deposits of kilns in Bunwonri, Gwangju-gun, Gyeonggi-do at the end of the 19th century. The mouth has been severed lost. This is a high-quality white porcelain bottle, with well sintered clay and glaze, but the rim has been severed and lost.<br />
[Korean Collection, University of Michigan Museum of Art (2014) p.179]")
Blue-and-white vase with large floral designs
porcelain with blue underglaze painting
10 1/8 in. x 6 3/4 in. x 6 3/4 in. ( 25.72 cm x 17.15 cm x 17.15 cm )
Gift of the Reverend and Mrs. Philip L. Schenk for the James Marshall Plumer Memorial Collection
Blue-and-white "Willow ware" plate with landscape design
porcelain with blue underglaze painting and overglaze gold
1 1/2 in. x 7 5/8 in. x 7 5/8 in. ( 3.81 cm x 19.37 cm x 19.37 cm )
Gift of Ellen and Richard Laing
Blue-and-white covered box with landscape scene on lid
stoneware with blue underglaze painting
1 13/16 in. x 2 7/16 in. x 2 7/16 in. ( 4.6 cm x 6.2 cm x 6.2 cm )
Museum purchase made possible by the Margaret Watson Parker Art Collection Fund
Saucer
1621 – 1627
porcelain, underglaze, glaze
Gift of Mr. John Lee Newton
1970/1.196
![This jar is assumed to have been produced near the Bunwon-ri kiln, Joseon’s last official court kiln, after its privatization. Its shape and design follow the blue-and-white porcelain produced in Bunwon-ri kiln, although the jar was warped during firing. It features a foliage design around the neck, a yeoui-head design around its shoulder, and peony scrolls on the belly, all painted in cobalt blue. The jar has short neck and flared rim. The jar is glazed all the way down to the foot rim, on which remain sand spur marks. Its background color is dark, while the pigment has spread in some parts.<br />
[Korean Collection, University of Michigan Museum of Art (2014) p.172]](/media/W1siZiIsIjIwMjAvMDcvMTAvOG04ZzlsNXNnN19kZWZhdWx0LmpwZyJdLFsicCIsInRodW1iIiwiMjQweDIwMCJdXQ?sha=0749c58d996c3f55 "This jar is assumed to have been produced near the Bunwon-ri kiln, Joseon’s last official court kiln, after its privatization. Its shape and design follow the blue-and-white porcelain produced in Bunwon-ri kiln, although the jar was warped during firing. It features a foliage design around the neck, a yeoui-head design around its shoulder, and peony scrolls on the belly, all painted in cobalt blue. The jar has short neck and flared rim. The jar is glazed all the way down to the foot rim, on which remain sand spur marks. Its background color is dark, while the pigment has spread in some parts.<br />
[Korean Collection, University of Michigan Museum of Art (2014) p.172]")
Blue-and-white tilted jar with peony and 'cloud collar' designs
1850 – 1899
porcelain with blue underglaze painting
Gift of Bruce and Inta Hasenkamp and Museum purchase made possible by Elder and Mrs. Sang-Yong Nam
2004/1.293
Miniature jar with cover, decorated with figures of boy acrobats
porcelain with blue underglaze painting
3 1/8 in. x 2 3/16 in. x 2 3/16 in. ( 8 cm x 5.5 cm x 5.5 cm )
Gift of Mr. Robert W. Coggan
Small Jar
porcelain with underglaze, and glaze
3 1/8 in x 2 13/16 in x 2 13/16 in (8 cm x 7.1 cm x 7.1 cm)
Gift of Marvin Eisenberg in memory of Gerald Gibson
Blue-and-white miniature covered box with floral medallion on lid
16th century
stoneware with blue underglaze painting
Museum purchase made possible by the Margaret Watson Parker Art Collection Fund
1993/2.24.1-2
Box
porcelain with underglaze and glaze
1 9/16 in x 2 3/8 in x 2 3/8 in (3.9 cm x 6 cm x 6 cm)
Museum purchase made possible by the Margaret Watson Parker Art Collection Fund
Blue-and-White Covered Jar with floral scroll design
porcelain with blue underglaze painting
6 13/16 in. x 5 11/16 in. x 5 11/16 in. ( 17.3 cm x 14.4 cm x 14.4 cm )
Gift of Ping and Zenobia Lee
Miniature Vase with Rabbit Design (1 of 2)
early 1880s - early 1910s
porcelain with blue underglaze painting
Bequest of Margaret Watson Parker
1954/1.506
Miniature Vase with Rabbit Design (1 of 2)
early 1880s - early 1910s
porcelain with blue underglaze painting
Bequest of Margaret Watson Parker
1954/1.507
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