Small jar with floral design

MediumPorcelain with underglaze blue and overglaze enamels; doucai ware

DimensionsHeight: 3 1/2 inches (8.9 cm);
Diameter: 4 1/8 inches (10.5 cm)

CultureChina

PeriodMing dynasty, Chenghua period (1465–1487)

ClassificationsCeramics

Credit LineGeorge and Mary Rockwell Collection

Terms

Ceramics
Vessels - Jars
Chinese
Enamels
Glazes
Porcelain
Porcelain with underglaze blue and overglaze enamels
tou-ts'ai ware
Floral patterns
Flowers
Lotus petals
Plant-derived motifs

Object number76.088.002

Label CopyThis nicely shaped small jar is a fine example of what the Chinese have called doucai ("contending colors"), a ceramic ware that used the new developments in blue-and-white porcelain production as a springboard into a sparkling world of coloristic splendor. In doucai ware the decoration is painted in cobalt on the white body, then glazed and fired like traditional blue-and-white. Semi-transparent enamel colors, usually red, yellow, green, and aubergine, were subsequently applied over the glaze, tracing the underlying outline of blue, and the piece was fired a second time at a lower temperature, causing the enamels to harden and fuse with the surface glaze. The final effect can be enchanting, with transparent gemlike colors gleaming over the softly muted blue outline underneath. In this small jar the potter has exploited the technique beautifully with a design of lotus petals framing five differently colored flowers. (From “A Handbook of the Collection: Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art," 1998)

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