Object Details
Description
Blue-and-white. Jar: carved wood stand. Clay: white porcelain, heavily potted. Glaze: colorless, transparent. Decoration: in under-glaze cobalt oxide (blue). Six-character mark on the neck (daming jiajing nianzhi )and two shou 壽 characters included in the design of dragons, crested waves, fungus of longevity, and clouds.
Marks
Made in the reign of the Jiajing emperor of the great Ming dynasty (on the jar's neck)
Inscriptions
The inscription on the neck is 大明嘉靖年製 Ta ming jiajing nian zhi: "Made in the reign of the Jiajing emperor of the great Ming dynasty."
The inscription on the neck is 大明嘉靖年製 Ta ming jiajing nian zhi: "Made in the reign of the Jiajing emperor of the great Ming dynasty."
Label
This imperial jar with a Jiajing reign mark on the neck was likely used to hold wine; originally it would have had a porcelain cover. Its decoration reflects the Jiajing emperor's attraction to practices aimed at attaining immortality. He commissioned many ceramics from the imperial workshop at Jingdezhen decorated with images of long life. Here, two five-clawed dragons, which are imperial emblems, stride across the jar pursuing a fancifully written character. The word is "shou," which means "longevity." To reinforce the meaning, the two "shou" characters rise out of depictions of sprigs of the "fungus of immortality," said to be an ingredient in elixirs to prolong life.
Provenance
To 1945
Allen J. Mercher, New York. [1]
From 1945
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Allen J. Mercher, New York. [2]
Notes:
[1] Curatorial Remark 1 in the object record.
[2] See note 1.
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Exhibition History
Beyond Paper: Chinese Calligraphy on Objects (August 18, 1994 to July 3, 1997)
Chinese Art (May 9 to November 29, 1993)
Chinese Ceramics (April 11, 1978 to September 4, 1980)
Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Art, 1953 (May 26, 1953 to September 15, 1953)
Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Art, 1947 (October 13, 1947 to May 26, 1953)
The Peacock Room (May 2, 1923 to February 21, 2011)
Previous custodian or owner
Allen J. Mercher
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Date
1522-1566
Period
Ming dynasty, Jiajing reign
Accession Number
F1945.36a-b
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Vessel
Medium
Porcelain with cobalt under colorless glaze
Dimensions
H x W: 53.1 x 52.2 cm (20 7/8 x 20 9/16 in)
Style
Jingdezhen ware
Origin
Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, China
Related Online Resources
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National Museum of Asian Art
Data Source
National Museum of Asian Art
Topic
ceramic
dragon
Jingdezhen ware
Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644)
Jiajing reign (1522 - 1566)
cobalt pigment
China
porcelain
clear glaze
Chinese Art
longevity
Link to Original Record
Record ID
fsg_F1945.36a-b