Jar with lotus petal decor (lianhua zun)
late 6th-early 7th century
Description
Elaborately decorated jar with trumpet-shaped mouth, cylindrical neck, ovoid body, and six loop handles at the juncture of the neck and shoulders; thick lotus-petal and five-leaf-palmette appliques encircle the shoulders, carved lotus petals with projecting tips and incised lotus petals decorate the lower portion of the body down to the foot; molded appliques of demon figures and flying apsarases encircle the neck; light gray stoneware with bluish-green celadon glaze over molded and applique elements. Place of manufacture uncertain, probably northern China. Jars of this shape with ornate lotus-petal decoration are known as lianhua zun, or “lotus flower wine jars.” Archaeologically excavated lianhua zun with celadon glazes have emerged from aristocratic tombs in both northern and southern China, but they are generally believed to be products of northern China.
Dimensions
H. 33.2 x Diam. 22 cm (13 1/16 x 8 11/16 in.)
Provenance
[Christie's, New York, 23 September 1999, lot 272] sold; to Walter C. Sedgwick Foundation, Woodside, CA (1999-2006), partial gift; to Harvard University Art Museums, 2006.
Related Artworks
View MoreSilver
17th centuryBritishCeramic
18th centuryJapaneseEnameled porcelain: porcelain with emerald-green enamel over crackled glaze; the unglazed footring dressed with an iron-brown slip
18th-19th centuryChineseGray earthenware
3rd-2nd millennium BCEChineseFritware, black painted under turquoise glaze
13th centurySyrianCarved celadon ware: light gray stoneware with celadon glaze over lightly carved decoration
12th centuryKoreanProto-porcelain ware: stoneware with natural ash glaze
1st century BCE-1st century CEChineseTerracotta
GreekMixed copper alloy
18th-20th centuryUnidentified cultureLead-glazed funerary ware: molded brick-red earthenware with lead-fluxed, emerald-green glaze over molded decoration
1st-2nd century CEChineseEarthenware with bichrome slip-painted decoration
3rd millennium BCEChinese