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Heavily potted jar with ovoid body, short neck and thickened lip, the unglazed base recessed within a broad foot ring. Around the sides in three framed indoor scenes court-ladies at leisure, playing instruments, writing calligraphy, and minding children. In a fourth outdoor scene with undulating clouds ladies at a ball game. The neck with a key-fret border, a flower and leaf scroll encircling the shoulder. Around the base a border of pointed leafs.
Jars (guan) like this one were used fore storage of wine and originally had a lid. The painting on this jar is a typical example of mid 15th century decoration, particularly of the Jingtai (1450-1456) and Tianshun era (1457-1464). The clouds in the outdoor scene are conveyed with twisting, thick lines and shading consisting of tiny lines. A breeze lifts up the ribbons on the ladies clothing. The figures may have been taken from historical novels. Large jars of this type were both made in Jingdezhen and in private kilns (min yao) in the area. A number of them found their way abroad to Southeast Asia and the Middle East despite trade being prohibited at the time. Many porcelains dating from the Interregnum period have been discovered in the Philippines.
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