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Vase

Chinese

Artwork Details

Vase
1723-1799
Chinese
porcelain with glaze
15 3/4 in x 10 5/8 in (40 cm x 27 cm);15 9/16 in x 9 in x 9 1/4 in (39.5 cm x 22.8 cm x 23.5 cm)
Gift of the Honorable Jack Faxon
1984/1.253

Description

Subject Matter:

A tea dust cha ye mo (茶叶末), hu-shaped vase of the Yongzheng (1723-1735) or Qianlong (1735-1799) reigns of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911).  

Tea dust glazes were first used during the Tang dynasty on stoneware, made at imperial porcelain kilns during the Ming, but reached their zenith during the Yongzheng and Qianlong periods of the Qing dynasty. Tea dust glazes, named thus because of their color-likeness to ground tea, are opaque crystalline glazes with a satin finish. While the color can range, they are usually an olive green with yellow or brown specks, which are actually tiny crystals, formed by iron and manganese reacting with silicates during the cooling process of the firing. The color is also similar to the patina of antique ritual bronzes, which may have led to their popularity during the Ming and Qing dynasties. 

Physical Description:

A porcelain hu shaped vase with cylindrical belly tapering down to a tall flared footring, an angular shoulder leading up to a trumpeted flaring neck with raised band, and two ear-shaped stylized handles on opposing sides of the neck. The vase is covered in a greenish-yellow, mottled semi matte glaze. 

Usage Rights:

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