COLLECTION NAME:
The AMICA Library
mediaCollectionId
AMICO~1~1
The AMICA Library
Collection
true
AMICA ID:
ASIA.1979.129
amicoid
ASIA.1979.129
AMICA ID
false
AMICA Library Year:
1998
aly
1998
AMICA Library Year
false
Object Type:
Decorative Arts and Utilitarian Objects
oty
Decorative Arts and Utilitarian Objects
Object Type
false
Creator Nationality:
Asian; Far East Asian; Chinese
crc
Asian; Far East Asian; Chinese
Creator Nationality
false
Creator Name-CRT:
Chinese
crt
Chinese
Creator Name-CRT
false
Title:
Jar
otn
Jar
Title
false
View:
Full view
rid
Full view
View
false
Creation Date:
Tang period, c. early 9th century
oct
Tang period, c. early 9th century
Creation Date
false
Creation Start Date:
800
ocs
800
Creation Start Date
false
Creation End Date:
899
oce
899
Creation End Date
false
Materials and Techniques:
Stoneware with glaze
omd
Stoneware with glaze
Materials and Techniques
false
Classification Term:
Ceramics
clt
Ceramics
Classification Term
false
Creation Place:
North China
ocp
North China
Creation Place
false
Dimensions:
H. 4 3/8 in. (11.1 cm); D. 6 1/4 in. (15.9 cm)
met
H. 4 3/8 in. (11.1 cm); D. 6 1/4 in. (15.9 cm)
Dimensions
false
AMICA Contributor:
Asia Society
oon
Asia Society
AMICA Contributor
false
Owner Location:
New York, New York, USA
oop
New York, New York, USA
Owner Location
false
ID Number:
1979.129
ooa
1979.129
ID Number
false
Credit Line:
Asia Society: The Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection
ooc
Asia Society: The Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection
Credit Line
false
Rights:
orl
<a href="http://www.asiasociety.org"target="_new">http://www.asiasociety.org</a>
Rights
false
Context:
Stonewares covered with black, dark brown, or very dark blue glazes were produced through northern China during the Tang period (618-906). Black glazes appear to have been used primarily to decorate common objects rather than those intended for court or as burial goods. Similar glazes continued to be used for household goods during the Northern Song period (960-1127), and stonewares of this type remain difficult to date precisely.
Remnants of an inscription written in black on the base of this cuspidor-shaped jar help to date the piece to about 835 CE, as it provides the year the piece was purchased. The inscription has been translated as 'purchased on the (?) day of the third month, the ninth year of the Taihe.' Written with a brush in a calligraphic style common during the Tang period, the inscription is badly abraded and difficult to read; both 835 and 855 have been suggested as possible readings of the date, although the former is generally accepted by scholars.
The thick, black glaze and the fact that it was inscribed suggest that this jar was considered important. However, its function remains elusive. Although it is in the shape of a cuspidor or spittoon, it is possible that this jar was used in the drinking of tea, perhaps as a receptacle for the leaves that are left behind. Tea drinking was popular in China during the Tang dynasty and this elegant vessel might be an early example of an object that was dedicated to this practice. Most of the well-known tea bowls and other ceramics associated with the drinking of tea in China date to the Song period.
cxd
Stonewares covered with black, dark brown, or very dark blue glazes were produced through northern China during the Tang period (618-906). Black glazes appear to have been used primarily to decorate common objects rather than those intended for court or as burial goods. Similar glazes continued to be used for household goods during the Northern Song period (960-1127), and stonewares of this type remain difficult to date precisely.<P>Remnants of an inscription written in black on the base of this cuspidor-shaped jar help to date the piece to about 835 CE, as it provides the year the piece was purchased. The inscription has been translated as 'purchased on the (?) day of the third month, the ninth year of the Taihe.' Written with a brush in a calligraphic style common during the Tang period, the inscription is badly abraded and difficult to read; both 835 and 855 have been suggested as possible readings of the date, although the former is generally accepted by scholars.</P><P>The thick, black glaze and the fact that it was inscribed suggest that this jar was considered important. However, its function remains elusive. Although it is in the shape of a cuspidor or spittoon, it is possible that this jar was used in the drinking of tea, perhaps as a receptacle for the leaves that are left behind. Tea drinking was popular in China during the Tang dynasty and this elegant vessel might be an early example of an object that was dedicated to this practice. Most of the well-known tea bowls and other ceramics associated with the drinking of tea in China date to the Song period.</P>
Context
false
Related Document Description:
Asia Society. Handbook of the Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection. New York: Asia Society, [1981], p. 61.
rdd
Asia Society. <I>Handbook of the Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection.</I> New York: Asia Society, [1981], p. 61.
Related Document Description
false
Related Document Description:
Lee, Sherman E. Asian Art: Selections from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd--Part II. New York: Asia Society, 1975, pp. 48, 97.
rdd
Lee, Sherman E. <I>Asian Art: Selections from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd--Part II.</I> New York: Asia Society, 1975, pp. 48, 97.
Related Document Description
false
Related Document Description:
Mowry, Robert D. 'The Sophistication of Song Dynasty Ceramics.' Apollo (November 1983), pp. 399-400.
rdd
Mowry, Robert D. 'The Sophistication of Song Dynasty Ceramics.' <I>Apollo</I> (November 1983), pp. 399-400.
Related Document Description
false
Related Document Description:
Willetts, William. Foundations of Chinese Art: From Neolithic Pottery to Modern Architecture. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1965, p. 273.
rdd
Willetts, William. <I>Foundations of Chinese Art: From Neolithic Pottery to Modern Architecture.</I> New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1965, p. 273.
Related Document Description
false
Related Image Identifier Link:
ASIA.1979.129.a.tif
ril
ASIA.1979.129.a.tif
Related Image Identifier Link
false