Lidded box
Date1127-1279
Maker
Chinese
Label TextSmall porcelain boxes were made in every kiln and exhibit a great variety in form and decoration. Some carry the names of the proud family workshops on their bases. Several hundred qingbai boxes have been found in Japan, and date mostly to the Song period. They were often entombed with Buddhist sutras, which may imply a special religious significance. Many of them appear to have been made in kilns in southern coastal regions of Fujian and Guangdong provinces, revealing the important role they played in the Chinese ceramics trade.
Object number45.78
Photo CreditPhoto: Paul Macapia
Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, "Porcelain Stories: From China to Europe", February 17, 2000-May 7, 2000 (2/17/2000 - 5/7/2000)Published ReferencesFinlay, Robert. "The Pilgrim Art: Cultures of Porcelain in World History". Berkeley, Los Angeles and London: University of California Press, 2010, illustrated pl. 12
Emerson, Julie, Jennifer Chen, & Mimi Gardner Gates, "Porcelain Stories, From China to Europe", Seattle Art Museum, 2000, pg. 77Credit LineThomas D. Stimson Memorial Collection
Dimensions2 1/2 in. (6.4 cm), diameter
MediumJingdezhen qingbai ware (porcelain with light bluish-toned glaze and molded decoration)