Momoyama Period Ewer for Tea Ceremony

7. Japan, Momoyama period (1568–1615), early 17th century. Ewer for Use in Tea Ceremony, Shino-Oribe ware with iron decoration.
This beautiful ewer was made as a wine server for the "kaiseki," or the meal that precedes the tea ceremony. With its bold contour and charmingly painted floral and textile patterns, it is one of the most attractive and rare examples of a type of ware known as Shino-Oribe. The body of refined clay is covered with a white feldspathic glaze that fired a purplish pink where it pooled and interacted with the iron. Shino ware, the first decorated white ware in Japan, was developed in the sixteenth century in Mino, Gifu Prefecture. This piece is a fascinating example of the transformation of Mino ceramics in accordance with the taste of the tea master Furuta Oribe (1544–1615) and the technical changes brought about by the introduction, in the early seventeenth century, of a more advanced kiln type, the chambered climbing kiln modeled on those built by Korean craftsmen at Karatsu in Kyushu. The earliest and most important new kiln was the one at Motoyashiki, in Mino, where utensils for the tea masters of Kyoto were produced to order. At Motoyashiki the green-glazed decorated wares known as Oribe ware were produced, but excavations reveal that Shino wares continued to be made there in the early period. Inevitably prevailing taste and new technology brought forth the changes in Shino ware that are reflected in the more refined form and inventive decoration of this vessel

Muromachi Period Shigaraki Ware

6. Shigaraki was one of the ancient centres of pottery producing domestic wares, in the area which now forms Shiga Prefecture. Robust, thick-walled Shigaraki ware has been made since the Kamakura period (1185-1333). It is made with a sandy clay containing feldspar which is distinctly visible through the ash glaze. This jar is typical of the ware, with characteristic incised circles around the shoulder. Height: 33 cm (British Museum).

Ming Dynasty Export "Kraak" Ware

5. China, Ming Dynasty, early 17th c., porcelain, export market, “kraak” ware, Porcelain with cobalt blue underglaze. 28.6 cm
A defining feature of kraak porcelain (so-called from the Dutch name for caracca, the Portuguese merchant ship) is the device of paneled decoration, seen here in the wide border of the dish, with its alternation of sunflowers and emblems. The central scene of ducks on a pond and the paneled motifs are among the numerous variants on the basic format of this extensive class of export porcelain. Examples similar to the Museum's dish, which is well made and painted with strong color and with care, if not with spirit, were found in the cargo of the Dutch ship Witte Leeuw, sunk in battle off Saint Helena in 1613.

Yuan Dynasty, "David Vases"

4. China, Yuan Dynasty. Pair of temple vases, inscribed 1351. Porcelain with cobalt blue underglaze. Height: 63.5 cm.
"David Vases" 1351. With high hollow foot & elephant handles, decorated in brilliant blue. The decoration is distributed in a series of bands, the main field round the body bearing a vigorous 4 clawed dragon pursuing a pearl through clouds, with a wave pattern below. Round the foot is a peony scroll above a band of small panels containing auspicious symbols. Above the main field, on the shoulder, is a formal scroll; the lower part of the neck is decorated with phoenix among clouds, & the upper part with plantain leaves, interrupted on one side to make space for an inscription. Round the mouth is a floral scroll. The glaze is blue tinged. Height: 63.5

Northern Song Cizhou Vase

3. Northern Song, Cizhou vase, late 11th – early 12th c., stoneware with carved slip decoration, 29 cm.
Cizhou (or tzu-chou) wares from Hopei (or Hebei) province are the largest group of stonewares—light grey clay body covered with white slip and vigorous free—hand painted floral, foliage designs—sometimes scratched through dark slip to white, meanders, peony, diaper patterns. Sometimes overglaze red, green added. Used for everyday wares—pillows, brush pots, wine jars, bowls, boxes, vases.

Song Dynasty Ding Ware Bowl

2. China, Hebei province, Northern Song Dynasty, late 11th-early 12th c. CE. Ding Ware Bowl, Porcelain with moulded decoration, bound in copper, Diameter: 21.3 cm (at mouth), 4.2 cm (at foot)
This bowl was produced at the Ding kilns in Hebei province, northern China, whose white porcelains were considered one of the 'five great wares' of the Song Dynasty (AD 960-1279 AD). The others were called Ru, Jun, Guan and Ge wares. Ding wares were sent to the Imperial court as tribute as early as AD 980.Early Ding wares were fired in separate saggars, with each piece having been incised individually. In the late eleventh or early twelfth century, they began using moulds for decoration and stacked the pieces for firing, which allowed mass production. The decorative effect differs greatly between the early and the later examples.The decoration on this bowl is a good example of the later, moulded type. Children play among lotus flowers, a common motif in Chinese ceramics, paintings and textiles. The moulds became less crisp with repeated use, but this appears to be one of the first impressions, as the decoration is still very clear.The metal band around the mouth is made of a copper alloy. Apart from its decorative use, it also smoothed the rough, unglazed rim.Diameter: 21.3 cm (at mouth) Diameter: 4.2 cm (at foot)

Tang Figure of Seated Woman

1. China, Tang Dynasty. Figure of a seated woman holding a bird, first half of 8th century earthenware with sancai (three-color) lead-silicate glaze H: 40.6 W: 17.9 D: 15.6 cm
This sensitively observed figure of a court woman offers insights into the cosmopolitan, wealthy lifestyle of the Tang dynasty (618–907) elite in the first half of the eighth century. Made as a burial good, this sculpture reflects competition among the Tang aristocracy to display numerous expensively crafted earthenware figures in funerary processions—grander objects indicated higher family status.Early eighth-century potters achieved a high point by imbuing ceramic figures with considerable naturalism and fidelity, despite using molds. Here, the double topknot and tie-dyed pattern on the woman's jacket realistically illustrate Tang fashion. The songbird she gazes upon alludes to Tang fascination with birds imported from India and the tropics.