| Description |
The form of this large jar began to appear in the Yuan dynasty, and they have been decorated using various media, including qingbai glaze, celadon glaze, or underglaze copper-red paint. Known in Japan as shukaiko, meaning "jar for wine gatherings," such jars originally had a lid and contained liquor or other liquid. The center of the body bears a decoration of several types of fish swimming spontaneously in the lotus pond. A combined design of fish and water plants is a common motif found in Yuan ceramics, also popularly adopted in folk paintings of the Jiangnan region (the southern area of the Yangzi River). The Chinese word for fish is yu, which is homonymous with the word for "abundance," making the fish an auspicious motif symbolizing abundance of wealth. It is also a symbol of prosperity of posterity as fish lay many eggs. This is undoubtedly one of the masterworks of the Yuan blue-and-white porcelain in terms of the outstanding workmanship in every element, including the form, decoration, and the color of the cobalt blue. |
