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Source Description
While dark-glazed ceramics resemble black lacquer ware, and celadons were often compared to green jade, white or bluish-white glazed stoneware imitates silver. Here, broad silver bands around the bowls’ rims accentuate their precious appearance. The incised petals are inspired by lotus flowers and the domed covers by their circular leaves. The lotus motif often indicates the use of an object in a Buddhist context, in which it is a symbol of purity as its flowers emerge unsullied from the mud of lakes and ponds. Alternatively, these bowls may have been used to hold food at banquets.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
380118
label
Pair of Qingbai Ware Bowls with Covers
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
380118
contentType
object
title
Pair of Qingbai Ware Bowls with Covers
description
While dark-glazed ceramics resemble black lacquer ware, and celadons were often compared to green jade, white or bluish-white glazed stoneware imitates silver. Here, broad silver bands around the bowls’ rims accentuate their precious appearance. The incised petals are inspired by lotus flowers and the domed covers by their circular leaves. The lotus motif often indicates the use of an object in a Buddhist context, in which it is a symbol of purity as its flowers emerge unsullied from the mud of lakes and ponds. Alternatively, these bowls may have been used to hold food at banquets.
date
1100s–1200s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q87481602
genreSpecific
Ceramic
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Each: 12.5 x 15.5 cm (4 15/16 x 6 1/8 in.)
cul
South China, Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279)
accession
2020.173
Source extras
tec
Porcelain with pale bluish-white (qingbai; 青白) glaze; silver mount
tombstone
Pair of Qingbai Ware Bowls with Covers, 1100s–1200s. South China, Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279). Porcelain with pale bluish-white (qingbai; 青白) glaze; silver mount; each: 12.5 x 15.5 cm (4 15/16 x 6 1/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Nancy F. and Joseph P. Keithley Collection Gift, 2020.173
collection
China - Song Dynasty
didYouKnow
The kilns in which <em>qingbai</em> ware were fired used pine wood as fuel, preventing oxidation and creating the distinct blue-green tint.
citations
citation
Vainker, S. J.<em> Chinese Pottery and Porcelain</em>. London: British Museum, 2005.
citation
Von Spee, Clarissa. "Chinese Ceramics and Works on Paper." In <em>The Keithley Collection at the Cleveland Museum of Art, </em>edited by Heather Lemonedes Brown, 194–229. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2022.
page_number
Mentioned and Reproduced: pp. 206–207; Mentioned: pp. 259–261
creditline
Nancy F. and Joseph P. Keithley Collection Gift
updatedAt
2026-06-18 15:02:58.256000
sourceId
380118
dept
Chinese Art
coll
China - Song Dynasty
med
Porcelain with pale bluish-white (qingbai; 青白) glaze; silver mount
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
1c0c00e93084e9ea