Spittoon

Accession Number
1993/1.91

Title
Spittoon

Artist(s)
Chinese

Artist Nationality
Chinese (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
936-1125

Medium & Support
stoneware with slip and glaze

Dimensions
5 5/16 in x 7 in x 7 in (13.5 cm x 17.8 cm x 17.8 cm);5 5/16 in x 7 in x 7 in (13.5 cm x 17.8 cm x 17.8 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Domino's Pizza, Inc.

Subject matter
From the mid-tenth to the early twelfth centuries, the Khitan Liao, a sinicized tribe of Mongol origin, ruled over much of north China. So powerful was the Liao that the contemporary Chinese dynasty of Northern Song (960-1126) regularly sent tribute north to keep the peace. Liao pottery borrows heavily from Tang and Northern Song models, but Liao ceramic production also shows an originality and vitality that reflects the cosmopolitan nature of Khitan culture, particularly in the area of vessel shape. Liao potters adopted shapes from objects made in other materials and from objects of West Asian and Middle Eastern origin.

Physical Description
This stoneware spittoon has a globular body on a straight footring, a narrow neck, and tall flaring rim. Three quarters of the body is covered in an amber glaze. 

Primary Object Classification
Ceramic

Primary Object Type
vessel

Collection Area
Asian

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.

Keywords
ceramic (material)
earthenware
lead glaze
stoneware (pottery)

& Author Notes

Web Use Permitted