Vase
Chinese
Description
Gallery Rotation Summer 2013
2. Vase with sang de boeuf glaze
China, Jiangxi province, Jingdezhen, Qing dynasty, 1644–1912, Kangxi reign, 1662–1722
Porcelain with copper red glaze
Gift of Mrs. Henry Jewett Greene for the Mr. and Mrs. Henry Jewett Collection, 1971/2.90
For centuries, the principal colors of Chinese monochrome ceramic wares were shades of green, amber, and brown that resulted from firing iron-oxide glazes in kilns under controlled conditions and temperatures. During the Qing dynasty, however, three successive emperors—Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong—each took a personal interest in ceramics production at the imperial kilns in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province. Under their direction, new superintendents revived the kilns, streamlining production, introducing new vessel shapes, and successfully expanding the repertoire of monochrome glazes to include jewel-toned colors now bearing fanciful Western names like chicken fat yellow, peach-bloom and sang de boeuf (oxblood) red, and robin’s egg and clair de lune (moonlight) blue, as seen in this case.
Subject Matter:
A porcelain sang de boeuf Lang yao copper red glazed vase of the Kangxi period (1662-1722). Copper red glazes are among the most difficult to be mastered as the oxygen in the kiln during firing must be reduced, or the glaze turns greenish-grey instead of a brilliant red. Lang yao red was considered a great triumph by its creator, official kiln supervisor Lang Tingji. Because of its glossy ox-blood color, it became known as sang de boeuf in the West.
Kangxi, the second emperor of the Manchurian Qing dynasty, took the throne at the age of eight and ruled for a total of sixty-one years, the longest of any Chinese emperor. Being a foreign ruler in China, he assimilated by learning Chinese, becoming Buddhist, and studied the Classics to gain public support. He accomplished many great feats such as completing the unification of China, improving government administration, and decreasing corruption. Of most importance to the production of porcelain, he reinstated the official kilns at Jingdezhen and opened the overseas trade. During Kangxi’s reign (1662-1722) there were many advancements to porcelain manufacture and the introduction of many new types and forms. Kangxi achieved this by appointing two different kiln supervisors during his tenure, Zang Yingxuan and Lang Tingji who are the names behind Zang yao (ware) and Lang yao (ware), respectively. Other types discovered and produced during this time include, but are not limited to, various refined monochromatic and copper red glazes including Lang yao—or sang de boeuf—and peach-bloom, underglaze blue in five colors, famille verte, bisquit, fencai—powder colors—and falangcai—enameled colors. Porcelains produced under the Kangxi reign appealed both to the elites of Chinese society as well as those overseas.
Physical Description:
Vase with globular body tapering to the foot and to a tall, straight neck, covered in a thick, deep blood-red glaze that thins at the lip exposing the color of the white porcelain clay body below.
Usage Rights:
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.