Object Details
Culture
China
Northern Song dynasty (960–1127) or Jin dynasty (1115–1234)
Date
12th or 13th century
Medium
Glazed stoneware with incised decoration
Dimensions
Height: 10 inches (25.4 cm)
Credit Line
George and Mary Rockwell Collection
Object
Number
69.157
Sandwiched between the Liao state (907–1125) to the north and the Song dynasty (960–1127), and t(…)
Sandwiched between the Liao state (907–1125) to the north and the Song dynasty (960–1127), and then later the Jin dynasty (1115–1234) to the south, the Xixia kingdom served as a conduit through which trade and cultural exchange occurred between what is now eastern China and central Asia. As a result of the circulation of objects and images, iconography found in the decoration of metal wares could later end up as decoration on ceramic, for example in the foliate forms framing the stylized lotus flower seen here. These meiping vases beautifully exemplify the sgraffito (Italian for “scratched”) technique, where the slip or glaze (here, dark brown) is cut away to reveal either another color of slip underneath, or alternatively, the body of the ceramic itself.
