Vase in the form of an archaic bronze vessel

Object Details

• Description

  Vase with rounded belly and tall slender neck; two vertical tubular "ears" on neck. Celadon.

  Clay: hard, gray stoneware.

  Glaze: thick, even, sea-green celadon with some random crackle.

  Decoration: none; 6-character Hsuan-te mark incised under glaze on base.

• Marks

  6-character Hsuan-te mark incised under glaze on base.

• Label

  Longquan-ware vases frequently took their forms from ancient Chinese bronze vessels, while their celadon glaze evoked the bronze patina. The tubular handles on the cylindrical neck of this vase copy those on a bronze vessel used for a game of pitching arrows. When not in use, the arrows were placed through the handles.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Tea in the Floating World (December 8, 2002 to May 26, 2003)

  Chinese Ceramics (April 11, 1978 to September 4, 1980)

• Origin

  Longquan, Zhejiang province, China

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Vessel

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

  The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1400s

• Place

  China, Zhejiang province, Longquan

• Topic

  Art, Green glaze, Stoneware, Chinese Art, Longquan ware, Ceramics, Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644), Xuande reign (1426 - 1435)

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)