altar-vase(zun)
- Museum number
- Franks.323
- Description
-
Square porcelain altar vase in the shape of a 'zun' with underglaze blue and polychrome enamel 'wucai' decoration. Applied to each side around the middle are relief-moulded heads of fantastical lion-like beasts painted in underglaze blue and enamels, pierced through for the attachment of rings. It has a horizontal six-character Wanli reign mark below the rim among a border of underglaze blue and overglaze red, green and black scroll work. The long neck, two bands of the body and high foot are all decorated with a horned and scaly dragon with a phoenix above waves on a flower-scroll ground. It is glazed inside but the base, which has a low outer footband, is unglazed.
- Production date
- 1573-1620
- Dimensions
-
Height: 47 centimetres
-
Width: 14 centimetres
- $Inscriptions
-
- Curator's comments
- Harrison-Hall 2001:
This square altar vase is modelled after an ancient bronze wine container called a 'zun'. It is probable, because of its elongated proportions, that the shape was copied from a printed illustration rather than from an original Bronze Age vessel.
- Location
- Not on display
- Acquisition notes
- The Asian ceramics donated by Sir Augustus Wollaston Franks were recorded in a sequence on index cards (known as the ‘Franks Index Cards’), held in the Dept of Asia.
- Department
- Asia
- Registration number
- Franks.323
