Covered Ovoid Jar (So-Called Ginger Jar) with Decoration of Plum Blossoms against a “Shattered Ice” Ground

Identification and Creation

Object Number: 2021.217
Title: Covered Ovoid Jar (So-Called Ginger Jar) with Decoration of Plum Blossoms against a “Shattered Ice” Ground
Classification: Vessels
Work Type: vessel
Date: Possibly late 17th–early 18th century, Kangxi era (1661–1722)
Places: Creation Place: East Asia, China
Period: Qing dynasty, 1644-1911
Culture: Chinese
Persistent Link: https://hvrd.art/o/370393

Physical Descriptions

Medium

Blue-and-white ware: porcelain with decoration reserved against a cobalt-blue ground; with underglaze cobalt-blue double circle on the base of vessel

Dimensions

H. 13.3 × W. 11.4 cm (5 1/4 × 4 1/2 in.)

Inscriptions and Marks

(not assigned): Underside of vessel; cobalt-blue underglaze: [a mark of double circle]

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History: Arthur and Mariot F. Solomon, Cambridge, MA (by 2020), bequest; to the Harvard Art Museums

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line: Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Arthur K. and Mariot F. Solomon Collection
Accession Year: 2021
Object Number: 2021.217
Division: Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact: am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
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Descriptions

Description: Porcelain ovoid jar with cylindrical cover, both decorated with a mottled blue background covered with a geometric “shattered ice” pattern in darker shades of blue. Groups of plum blossoms are composed of negative white spaces with blue outlines indicating petals and stamens. At the shoulder is a border composed of alternating swatches of parallel lines. A single blue line runs around the foot, beneath the main decorative register, and a pair of concentric blue lines are found inside the white-glazed foot. The lid, which does not perfectly match the body, has a sawtooth patter around the exterior and a cluster of plum blossoms against a shattered ice background on the top.

Verification Level

This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or 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

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