Melon-Form Wine Bottle
13th century
Physical Qualities
Stoneware with incidental ash glaze, 14 3/4 × 8 in. (37.5 × 20.3 cm.)
Credit Line
Julius Levy Memorial Fund
Object Number
2017.225
The thin coating of glaze that covers this vessel is most evident in the subtle sheen of the upper body. This glaze is the result of ash from the wood-fired kiln settling on the surface of the clay. The bottle is designed to hold wine: its small mouth reduced evaporation of the contents, while the body’s lobed form allowed the bearer’s hands to better grasp the bottle.
The Baltimore Museum of Art by purchase 2017; Kang Collection Korean Art, New York; Mihe Jo, Los Angeles, by gift from her father, 1968; Jonghwan Jeong, Busan, South Korea
Frances Klapthor, The Baltimore Museum of art, "Across East Asia: China's Cultural & Artistic Legacy," October 30, 2019-December 31, 2023.
