VesselsChinese9th century

Ewer with Short, Flaring Neck, Short Spout, and Handle in the Form of a Leaping Lion

9th century

Description

This ewer has an ovoid body that rests on a solid, slightly flaring foot. The steep walls rise rapidly to the shoulder, where they curve inward and then angle upward to complete the container portion. A bowed neck stands atop the shoulder, its lip turned delicately outward. A short spout in the form of an open-mouthed creature juts upward from the top of the shoulder; opposing the spout is a handle in the form of a slender, leaping lion with hind paws resting on the vessel shoulder and forepaws reaching over and grasping onto the vessel lip. The lion's head and shoulders rise above the top of the vessel and his jaws clamp down onto the edge of the lip, as if it were biting its prey. A thin, even coat of ivory-hued glaze covers the ewer's interior and exterior, stopping no more than a centimeter above the foot, so that the flat base and very lowest portion of the vessel remain unglazed. The exposed body clay is pure white.

Classification

Vessels

Medium

Ding ware: Porcelain with pale, ivory-hued glaze over appliqué molded decoration. From North China, probably from the Ding kilns, near Quyang, Hebei province.

Culture

Chinese

Period

Tang dynasty, 618-907

Century

9th century

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Department

Department of Asian Art

Dimensions

H. 20.7 x W. 13.4 x Diam. 11.7 cm (8 1/8 x 5 1/4 x 4 5/8 in.)

Provenance

H. Medill Sarkisian(1909-1993) purchased object in China between 1946 and 1949 Collection of H. Medill Sarkisian, Denver, CO (1946/49-1965) Private Collection, San Francisco, CA (1965-2001), purchased from H. Medill Sarkisian in 1965 J.J. Lally & Co., New York, NY (2001), purchased from the private collector William B. Goldstein, M.D., Wilton, CT (2001-2009), purchased from J.J. Lally & Co. Partial Gift/Partial Purchase, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Harvard Art Museum (2009)

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