Accession Number
1982/1.209A&B

Title
Jar

Artist(s)
Chinese

Artist Nationality
Chinese (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
1662-1722

Medium & Support
porcelain with underglaze, and glaze

Dimensions
6 in x 4 5/8 in x 4 5/8 in (15.3 cm x 11.7 cm x 11.7 cm);6 1/4 in (15.8 cm);5 15/16 in (15 cm);6 13/16 in (17.3 cm)

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

Subject matter
A qinghua (清华) blue and white jar of the Kangxi period (1662-1722).

Kangxi, the second emperor of the Manchurian Qing dynasty, took the throne at the age of eight and ruled for a total of sixty-one years, the longest of any Chinese emperor. Being a foreign ruler in China, he assimilated by learning Chinese, becoming Buddhist, and studied the Classics to to gain public support. He accomplished many great feats such as completing the unification of China, improved government administration, decreased corruption, and of most importance to the production of porcelain, he reinstated the official kilns at Jingdezhen and opened the overseas trade. During Kangxi’s reign (1662-1722) there were many advancements to porcelain manufacture and the introduction of many new types and forms. Kangxi achieved this by appointing two different kiln supervisors during his tenure, Zang Yingxuan and Lang Tingji who are the names behind Zang yao (ware) and Lang  yao (ware), respectively. Other types discovered and produced during this time include but are not limited to various refined monochromatic and copper red glazes, including Lang yao—sang de boeuf—and peach-bloom, underglaze blue in five colors; powder colors, famille verte, bisquit, fencai, and enameled colors, falangcai.  Porcelains produced under the Kangxi reign appealed both to the elites of Chinese society as well as those overseas. 

Physical Description
A porcelain globular jar tapering to foot with a short neck with copper-wire repair, and a domed cap lid. It is painted with multiple shades of underglaze blue to portray peony meander around the body between lappet borders around the shoulder and foot, then covered in a clear glaze.

Primary Object Classification
Ceramic

Primary Object Type
jar

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
Paeonia (genus)
blue-and-white (ceramic glaze)
ceramic (material)
cobalt (mineral)
cobalt blue (pigment)
jars
porcelain (material)
porcelain (visual works)