11 janvier 2016

Plate, China, Song dynasty, c. 1100 - c. 1199, Yaozhou ware. D 19cm × h 4.5cm. Courtesy Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. aozhou ware is characterized by its deeply incised decoration of floral and leaf motifs, with accumulations of green glaze in the grooves. The dense, busy style of decoration on the inside of this bowl became possible only from the 12th century, when potters began to use moulds.

Bowl, China, Song dynasty (960 - 1279), Yaozhou ware. H 6.5 cm × d 14.4 cm. Courtesy Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Another view. Photo © Alain R. Truong Yaozhou ware is characterized by its deeply incised decoration of floral and leaf motifs, with accumulations of green glaze in the grooves. The dense, busy style of decoration on the inside of this bowl became possible only from the 12th century, when potters began to use moulds.

Platter, China, 15th century, Longquan ware. D 46cm × h 8.5cm. Courtesy Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.

Stem cup, China, 13th-14th century, Longquan ware. H 13.1cm × d 13.2cm. Courtesy Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.

Table screen, China, 12th-13th century, Longquan ware. H 15.5 cm × w 14.0 cm × d 6.0 cm. Courtesy Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.

Figure of a bird, Tang dynasty (618 - 906). h 2.5cm × w 4.4cm × d 2.8cm. Courtesy Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. A lidded pot, Tang dynasty (618 - 906). h 9cm. Courtesy Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. All kinds of objects were included in grave goods, from utilitarian vessels, such as this little pot, to figures representing important aspects of the deceased’s surroundings during his lifetime. The little model of a bird shows that there was also room for cheerful elements.

Vase hu, Han dynasty (-206 - 220), h 46.5 cm × d 38.5 cm. Courtesy Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. The green glaze was a new invention during the Han period. It imitated the patina of bronze and was used only for grave goods. The colour of the glaze, which has a characteristic pearly gloss, can range from various shades of green to brownish-yellow.

Incense burner, Han dynasty (-206 - 220), h 13.5 cm × d 19.2 cm. Courtesy Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. This incense burner represents a mythical mountain where immortals roam. Such objects in the form of a mountain may have symbolized the entrance to the supernatural world, which the Han Chinese believed could be accessed from the highest mountain tops. A second possibility is that this is Mount Penglai, the mystical island of paradise in the Eastern Sea.

Box, China, Tang dynasty (618-906), 8th century, silver, d 11.5 cm. Courtesy Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Cup, China, Tang dynasty (618-906), 8th century, silver, h 6.0cm × d 6.4cm. Courtesy Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Silverware from the late Tang period is one of the most refined productions of Chinese applied art. The craftsmanship is unparalleled: every dot was individually punched into the surface. Here, flower sprays and animal motifs have been executed with minute attention to detail and elegantly distributed over the... [Lire la suite]

Taoist deity, China, 1500-1700, wood with renmants of painting. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Photo © Alain R. Truong Detail. Photo © Alain R. Truong The modeling of this deity's face is exceptionnally smooth and sophisticated. On her crispy carved clothing aére the renmats of what once would have been a rich decoration in colours and gold. She may have hled a bowl in her raised hands. It is possible that she once formed part of a larger group of figures around a central deity.