1946.2: Vase in the Form of an Archaic Bronze 'Fanghu' Jar
VesselsGallery Text
Chinese ceramic wares made in Song dynasty (960–1279) court taste are esteemed for their refined forms, subtle decoration, and soft, muted glaze colors. Buoyed by national peace, economic prosperity, and the rise of a highly educated civil official class, local ceramics industries throughout China began to thrive and innovate at unprecedented levels.
Kilns seeking to supply household wares to their highly cultured clientele often created pieces that were reminiscent of other precious items. For example, northern Ding wares, with their decorative designs and thin bodies, were often compared to silverwork, while the thick green glazes coating southern Longquan wares brought carved jades to mind. Although natural forms were popular, like those inspired by flower blossoms, government officials, who had attained their positions through long study of ancient texts and history, were especially drawn to ceramics that resembled the bronzes and jades of antiquity. Courtly taste in China would change drastically after the Song, shifting toward brightly decorated blue-and-white porcelains, invented at Jingdezhen in the fourteenth century and manufactured at the same kilns that produced the delicate blue-tinged white wares known as qingbai.
Identification and Creation
- Object Number
- 1946.2
- Title
- Vase in the Form of an Archaic Bronze 'Fanghu' Jar
- Classification
- Vessels
- Work Type
- vessel
- Date
- probably Ming dynasty, late 16th - early 17th century
- Places
- Creation Place: East Asia, China, Jiangxi province, Jingdezhen
- Period
- Ming dynasty, 1368-1644
- Culture
- Chinese
- Persistent Link
- https://hvrd.art/o/203872
Physical Descriptions
- Medium
- 'Guan'-type ware: porcelain with thick grayish blue glaze over molded decoration; with inscription of the Qianlong Emperor dated to 1783 incised into the base
- Dimensions
- H. 20.1 x W. 16.5 x D. 12.3 cm (7 15/16 x 6 1/2 x 4 13/16 in.)
- Inscriptions and Marks
-
- inscription: Inscription of the Ch'ien-lung emperor dated to 1783 incised into the base.
Provenance
- Recorded Ownership History
- Mrs. Warfield Longcope, Baltimore, MD (by 1946), gift; to Fogg Art Museum, 1946.
Acquisition and Rights
- Credit Line
- Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Mrs. Warfield Longcope in honor of the grandsons of Paul Dana, Class of 1874
- Accession Year
- 1946
- Object Number
- 1946.2
- Division
- Asian and Mediterranean Art
- Contact
- am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
- Permissions
-
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Exhibition History
- Masterworks of East Asian Painting, Harvard University Art Museums, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 11/03/1995 - 06/09/1996
- Plum, Orchid, Chrysanthemum, and Bamboo: Botanical Motifs and Symbols in East Asian Painting, Harvard University Art Museums, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 07/06/2002 - 01/05/2003
- Rocks, Mountains, Landscapes and Gardens: The Essence of East Asian Painting ('04), Harvard University Art Museums, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 01/31/2004 - 08/01/2004
- A Compelling Legacy: Masterworks of East Asian Painting, Harvard University Art Museums, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 08/24/2004 - 03/20/2005
- Forging the New: East Asian Painting in the Twentieth Century, Harvard University Art Museums, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 05/03/2005 - 10/16/2005
- Downtime, Harvard University Art Museums, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 04/28/2007 - 04/20/2008
- Re-View: S228-230 Arts of Asia, Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 05/31/2008 - 06/01/2013
- 32Q: 2600 East Asian, Japanese, Chinese and Korean, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 11/16/2014 - 01/13/2020
Subjects and Contexts
- Google Art Project
Verification Level
This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu