Jingdezhen kilns
Square Vase with Five Mouths
1735
Physical Qualities
Porcelain with imitation Song dynasty Ru-type pale blue glaze, 25.9 cm. H
Credit Line
The George A. Lucas Collection, purchased with funds from the State of Maryland, Laurence and Stella Bendann Fund, and contributions from individuals, foundations, and corporations throughout the Baltimore community
Object Number
1996.47.42
Chinese decorative arts in the mid-18th century tended to
emphasize characteristics of objects produced in the distant
past. The complex shape of this 18th-century vase recalls an
11th-century funerary vessel, while its glaze imitates a Song
dynasty (960–1279 A.D.) imperial tribute ware called Ru.
This distinctive shape and glaze type would not have occurred
together in an earlier period. However, an innovative 18thcentury
ceramicist paired them successfully, using the ancient
prototypes as a source of inspiration for new work.
The Baltimore Museum of Art by purchase, 1996 (on loan 1966-1996); Maryland Institute College of Art, by 1911; Henry Walters, by bequest, 1909; George A. Lucas, Paris
"Exhibition of Paintings, Bronzes and Porcelains from the George A. Lucas Art Collection," The Maryland Institute, Baltimore, 1911.
Sona Johnston, The Baltimore Museum of Art, "A View Toward Paris: The Lucas Collection of 19th-Century French Art," October 1, 2006 - December 31, 2006.
Frances Klapthor, BMA, "An Artist's Fresh Glaze," April 30 - November 4, 2012.
Sona Johnston, The Baltimore Museum of Art, "A View Toward Paris: The Lucas Collection of 19th-Century French Art," October 1, 2006 - December 31, 2006.
Frances Klapthor, BMA, "An Artist's Fresh Glaze," April 30 - November 4, 2012.
"Exhibition of Paintings, Bronzes and Porcelains from the George A. Lucas Art Collection," The Maryland Institute, Baltimore, 1911, no. 691, p. 110.
Frances Klapthor, Chinese Ceramics, Baltimore: BMA, 1993, no. 129, p. 58
Markings: Foot: underglaze cobalt, 6-character seal script Qianlong reign mark
