Object Details
Culture
China
Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279)
Date
12th century
Medium
Porcelaneous stoneware; coated on the outsides with a celadon green glaze over a reddish clay body, olive glaze on the interior
Dimensions
3 3/4 × 5 inches (9.5 × 12.7 cm)
Credit Line
George and Mary Rockwell Collection
Object
Number
80.113.005
The numerous wares once called celadons in the West are now usually collected under the term Longqua(…)
The numerous wares once called celadons in the West are now usually collected under the term Longquan, after the name of the chief market town in south central China where the ware was assembled for shipping. The site was very active from the twelfth century onward, and the celadons produced in the region were shipped to many parts of the world to become widely admired not only for their wonderful shades of green, blue-green, and grey- green, but for their opacity and lustre as well. This covered jar, a typical example of Southern Song Longquan ware, swells outward in a graceful silhouette that seems to capture the essence of an organic shape without looking quite like anything actually found in nature. The glaze has thinned out over the raised ribs to reveal the white of the body beneath; and the curled lotus-shaped lid appears to float gently on the rim, adding to the feeling of magic that surrounds this fine example of celadon. (From “A Handbook of the Collection: Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art,” 1998)
