Accession Number
1982/1.208

Title
Vase

Artist(s)
Chinese

Artist Nationality
Chinese (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
1700-1722

Medium & Support
porcelain with glaze

Dimensions
17 1/2 in (44.45 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of the Estate of Hobart Taylor, Jr.

Subject matter
This porcelain powder blue baluster vase is from a three piece garniture set including a pair of jars from the Kangxi period (r. 1662-1722) of the Qing dynasty (1644-1722). Scenes, such as the landscapes painted in a similar style to ink paintings, were made to appeal to the scholar-official and literati class of citizens. The deer and crane are both Daoist symbols of long life. 

Powder blue, soufflé blue, snowflake blue or xue hua lan (雪花篮), sprinkled blue or sa lan (洒蓝), fish-roe blue (鱼子绿), and blown blue or chuiqing (吹青) are all terms used to describe a subset of famille verte porcelains that are covered with a cobalt blue ground comprising of many layered dots of various sizes, creating gradations in color. It was produced at Jingdezhen (景德镇), Jiangxi (江西), China for a very short time during the Kangxi (康熙) reign (1661- 1722) of the Qing (清) dynasty (1644-1912), primarily from about 1700-1722. It characterized by its rich, speckled cobalt underglaze surface covering the majority of porcelain vessel. Sometimes, reserves are masked off using paper as a resist, to keep some areas of the porcelain white. These areas may be decorated later with underglaze cobalt blue or underglaze copper red before glazing and firing, or possibly decorated with famille verte enamels and gilding after glazing and firing. The designs often featured scenes from classical literature, "five color blue" landscapes, birds and flowers, beautiful ladies, the Hundred Antiquities, and auspicious objects and divine beings. The multiple firings and costly materials made powder blue wares extremely expensive to produce.

Physical Description
This porcelain baluster-shaped vase, of tall cylindrical form, sits on a footring and has a tall, wide neck, and rim with protruding articulation. It is covered in powder blue underglaze with four large scalloped reserved panels on the body, alternating with smaller reserves on the shoulder, and base. The large reserves show landscapes with cranes and deer, painted in underglaze blue and red, and overglaze enamels; the smaller reserves show flowering plants in underglaze blue and red. The jar is covered in clear glaze, then painted with overglaze gold floral meander, which is wearing away. Part of a ten-piece garniture set which includes: jars, 1982/1.206A, 1982/1.206B, 1982/1.206C, 1982/1.207A, 1982/1.207B, and 1982/1.207C; vases, 1982/1.208, 1982/1.215, 1982/1.216, 1982/1.220; plates, 1982/1.212, 1982/1.213, and bowls 1982/1.221,1982/1.22.

Primary Object Classification
Ceramic

Primary Object Type
vase

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
Cervidae (family)
Gruidae (family)
blue-and-white (ceramic glaze)
ceramic (material)
cobalt blue (pigment)
ewers (vessels)
flower (motif)
flower vases
landscapes (representations)
mountains
porcelain (visual works)