Accession Number
PG2020.2.124

Title
Vase (One of a Pair)

Artist(s)

Object Creation Date
Qing dynasty (19th century)

Medium & Support
porcelain with glaze

Dimensions
7 x 2 3/4 in. (17.78 x 6.99 cm)

Credit Line
Promised gift of William C. Weese, M.D., LSA ‘65

Subject matter
Tea dust glazes were first used during the Tang dynasty on stoneware, made at imperial porcelain kilns during the Ming, but reached their zenith during the Yongzheng and Qianlong periods of the Qing dynasty. Tea dust glazes, named thus because of their color-likeness to ground tea, are opaque crystalline glazes with a satin finish. While the color can range, they are usually an olive green with yellow or brown specks, which are actually tiny crystals, formed by iron and manganese reacting with silicates during the cooling process of the firing. The color is also similar to the patina of antique ritual bronzes, which may have led to their popularity during the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Physical Description
Pair of porcelain teadust vases in the shape of mallet. Has large and wide base that, going up, narrows and then widens into a bulbous body, then narrows into a long neck that has two abstract shaped handles, the neck then flares out at the rim.

Primary Object Classification
Ceramic

Collection Area
Asian

Rights
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Keywords
green (color)
porcelain (material)
vases