Jar Painted with Peonies

This jar, which may have been used for wine, is an example of export porcelain from China to the Near East; the white porcelain broad shouldered jar is painted with underglaze cobalt blue peony blossoms and leaf patterns mounted with a Persian lid and lock. The metalwork is etched with floral patterns similar to the painted ones.

Blue and white porcelain was popularized in China by the Mongol emperors during the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368). Trade along The Silk Road meant access to Middle Eastern ideas, imports, and consumers. Persian and Central Asian cobalt ore was imported to China to facilitate the porcelain production from the 14th to the early 15th century. In return, the porcelain produced in the kilns of Jingdezhen was decorated and exported to satisfy the taste of the Persian and Arab markets.

Provenance

Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.

William T. or Henry Walters Collection, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; by bequest to Walters Art Museum, 1931.