Celadon jar

Maker Unidentified artist

Date14th Century

MediumGlazed stoneware with Japanese lacquer lid

DimensionsHeight: 4 1/2 inches (11.4 cm)

CultureVietnam

ClassificationsCeramics

Credit LineAcquired through the George and Mary Rockwell Fund

Terms

Ceramics
Glazed stoneware
Vietnamese

Object number2005.022

Label CopyAlthough inspired by Chinese Longquan wares, Vietnamese potters developed a distinctive version of celadon due to the raw materials available in the Red and Ma river valleys of northern Vietnam. The fine, whitish clays lent themselves well to the formation of thin-walled vessels in characteristic shapes such as this high-walled beaker. While Longquan wares have thick, translucent green glazes, the Vietnamese wares have thin, transparent, glassy green glazes, with a tendency to crazing, that show off the subtle incised surface designs beneath and impart a deeper green color where the glaze pools. Here the band of scrolling cloud-like designs is punctuated with a row of bosses just below the rim. Vietnamese ceramics competed with Chinese wares in the international trade, especially to Southeast Asian markets. Vietnamese wares were also highly prized in Japan, particularly among practitioners of chanoyu, the way of tea. The lacquer lid, made for this beaker in Japan, suggests that the vessel was used there as a mizusashi, or freshwater jar, in the tea ceremony. The vessel's fine condition, without evidence of wear from burial or seawater, indicates that it was preserved as an heirloom in Japan.

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