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A white porcelain jar with blue painted birds and floral decor

At the top, the jar’s wide circular opening is surrounded by a short collar. The body of the jar is an inverted tulip shape, with broad shoulders curving outward at the top, then tapering quickly to a long base, and a circular flat bottom that is about the same size as the mouth at the top. Narrow horizontal bands featuring a curvilinear repeated cloud-shaped design ring both the neck and the lower section. The broad upper part features long, thin curving branches with small leaves and large blooming flowers. Pairs of birds perched on the branches look at each other.

Gallery Text

This jar’s generous and slightly imperfect shape, the soft blue color of the cobalt pigment, the relaxed, playful design, and the abundance of unpainted space exemplify the character of 18th-century Korean blue-and-white porcelain. Such understated aesthetics contrasts with the more flamboyant and exacting styles favored and traded globally at this time — including in China, Japan, and Europe. Primarily intended for use at home, Chosŏn Korean porcelains reflect the tastes of elites who embraced a philosophy of restraint and modesty over extravagance.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
1998.104
Title
Large Jar with Peonies and Birds
Classification
Vessels
Work Type
vessel
Date
second half of 18th century
Places
Creation Place: East Asia, Korea
Period
Chosŏn dynasty, 1392-1910
Culture
Korean
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/197052

Location

Location
Level 2, Room 2600, East Asian Art, East Asian Painting and Decorative Arts
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Physical Descriptions

Medium
Porcelain with underglaze cobalt-painted decoration
Dimensions
H. 42.5 x Diam. 35 cm (16 3/4 x 13 3/4 in.)

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Ernest B. and Helen Pratt Dane Fund for Asian Art
Accession Year
1998
Object Number
1998.104
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
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Exhibition History

  • 32Q: 2600 East Asian, Japanese, Chinese and Korean, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 06/04/2023 - 06/01/2025; Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 12/04/2023 - 12/01/2025

Subjects and Contexts

  • ReFrame

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu