Object description
Dating to the 17th century AD, this jar is made from porcelain. An underglaze of cobalt blue has been combined with an overglaze of coloured enamels. This creates bright, eye-catching figurative scenes.
The jar and lid are decorated with figures set in a landscape of trees, rocks and flowers. One scene depicts children playing in a rocky garden- they are watched over by female figures. This type of scene is commonly found on jars from this period.
Jars of this kind were not common household objects. It is likely that they were imported privately by wealthy families or individuals.
Transitional period jar with cover/ceramic,Porcelain/17th century AD/The Hunt Collection/PD
Transitional Period of Chinese Ceramics
This period of Chinese ceramic production took place between 1620 and 1670. It is referred to as “Transitional” because of a change in China’s ruling dynasty. The Ming dynasty, who had been in power from 1368–1644, were replaced by the Qing dynasty. This change caused a huge upheaval. One of the consequences was that Jingdezhen, the most important ceramic production centre in China, lost its imperial patronage. This meant that potters had to find new patrons, leading to the development of new styles.
During this time, Chinese potters knew a limited range of overglaze enamels. The colours were to restricted to green, red, yellow, black and aubergine. This palette was known as “wucai” or “five-colour” enamels.
This is not to say that the level of skill was any less. Working with this combination of underglaze and overglaze decoration did in fact require a high level of skill and planning. Before the jar went into the kiln for its final firing, the cobalt-blue areas had to be painted. The remaining colours were added later using a low temperature kiln.
Even in a time of turmoil, Chinese potters were still producing high-quality ceramics.
Sources
https://chinainstitute.org/gallery-exhibition/chinese-ceramics-of-the-transitional-period-1620-
The Hunt Museum Essential Guide. Scala Publishers. 2002.
