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Source Description
White was a ritual color used in Buddhist ceremonies, as well as the color of mourning. This jar is made of two molded halves that were joined where the vessel’s middle section shows a raised line. It is covered by a silky white glaze called “sweet-white” (<em>tianbai</em>; 甜白). A “hidden design” (<em>anhua</em>; 暗花) of floral scrolls on the shoulder and stylized petals around the base shine through the glaze. The jar may have been used as a planter, a vase for flowers, or it may have held incense sticks on a home altar.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
76524
label
White-Glazed Jar with Hidden Design
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
76524
contentType
object
title
White-Glazed Jar with Hidden Design
description
White was a ritual color used in Buddhist ceremonies, as well as the color of mourning. This jar is made of two molded halves that were joined where the vessel’s middle section shows a raised line. It is covered by a silky white glaze called “sweet-white” (<em>tianbai</em>; 甜白). A “hidden design” (<em>anhua</em>; 暗花) of floral scrolls on the shoulder and stylized petals around the base shine through the glaze. The jar may have been used as a planter, a vase for flowers, or it may have held incense sticks on a home altar.
date
1500s–1600s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q87480819
genreSpecific
Ceramic
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 13.9 x 16.4 cm (5 1/2 x 6 7/16 in.)
cul
China, Jiangxi province, Jingdezhen kilns, Ming dynasty (1368-1644)
accession
2020.185
Source extras
tec
Porcelain with sweet-white (tianbai; 甜白) glaze
tombstone
White-Glazed Jar with Hidden Design, 1500s–1600s. China, Jiangxi province, Jingdezhen kilns, Ming dynasty (1368-1644). Porcelain with sweet-white (tianbai; 甜白) glaze; overall: 13.9 x 16.4 cm (5 1/2 x 6 7/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Nancy F. and Joseph P. Keithley Collection Gift, 2020.185
collection
China - Song Dynasty
didYouKnow
<em>Tianbai</em>, or sweet-white glaze, was developed to accommodate the Yongle emperor’s (reigned 1403–24) preference for white ceramics.
citations
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: p. 217; Mentioned: pp. 259–261
creditline
Nancy F. and Joseph P. Keithley Collection Gift
updatedAt
2026-06-11 12:17:39.033000
sourceId
76524
dept
Chinese Art
coll
China - Song Dynasty
med
Porcelain with sweet-white (tianbai; 甜白) glaze
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
3400ce29c2d3bcaf