Collections

Jar with Four Lugs and a Carved Petal-Shaped Flange, Decorated with Vertical Stripes in Brown and Green Lead Glazes

  • H.18.1cm BD 7.5cm BD 8.0cm
  • Northern Qi dynasty, 6th century
No.21032

This jar is characterized by four square lugs on its shoulders and a petal-shaped flange around the lower body. The jar’s unglazed base reveals an extremely white body clay.
Similar types of jars have been excavated in 6th century tombs located in the area that straddles present-day southern Hebei and Northern Henan provinces.
While polychrome lead glaze decoration developed with remarkable sophistication during the Tang dynasty, early examples of this decoration had already appeared in Northern Qi dynasty, as seen in small bowl from the tomb of Lou Rui (570) in Shanxi province. This jar is yet another early example of polychrome lead-glazed ware.
Judging from this jar’s shape, white body and unstable transparent glaze tone, this work is thought to be dated to the Northern Qi dynasty.
This jar entered the Tokiwayama Bunko Foundation collection as a set excavated from the same tomb with the jar(21034) and bottle(21033).

Publications
*The Bulletin of the Chinese Ceramic Study Association of Tokiwayama Bunko Foundation vol.3 Northern Qi Ceramics, Tokiwayama Bunko Foundation, 2011 (see commentary by Sarah Sato)
*Fascinating Chinese Ceramics: The Machida City Museum and Tokiwayama Bunko Foundation Collections, Machida City Museum, 2016 (see commentary by Sarah Sato)
*Selected Masterpices from the Tresures of Tokiwayama Bunko Foundation, commemorating the 80th Anniversary of Tokiwayama Bunko Foundation, Tokiwayama Bunko Foundation, 2023 (see commentary by Keiko Mikasa)