Jingdezhen kilns
Pistol-Handled Covered Urn
1794-1804
Physical Qualities
Porcelain with overglaze enamel and gilding, 16 in. (40.6 cm.) H
Credit Line
Gift of Laetitia M. Snow
Object Number
1949.57
The Chinese exported large numbers of urns with handles shaped like pistol grips. Made in the Jingdezhen kilns, the bold form first found favor with Swedish customers, then gradually spread elsewhere. Since the Federal era, such urns have been popular with American buyers. While the pistol-grip handles are distinctive, the vases could be decorated in endless variety. Here, an idyllic Western landscape, executed in sepia enamel and probably based upon a print source, is bracketed by floral swags that recall the inlaid bellflowers on Federal furniture.
On View at the BMA
