Ruby-red Kuan-yin Tsun Vase

Tags: ceramics | National Palace Museum | vessel

 

K'ang-hsi Reign (1662-1722), Ch'ing Dynasty (1644-1911)
Height: 25.6 cm, rim diameter: 7.3 cm, base diameter; 11.1 cm 
 
In the period from 1705 to 1712, during the K'ang-hsi reign, Lang T'ing-chi, the Governor of Kiangsi, was ordered to go to Ching-te-chen and manage the firing of ceramics at the imperial kiln works. Among the porcelains produced there was a red-glazed vessel in imitation of one that goes back to the Hsüan-te reign (1426-1435) in the Ming dynasty. Its strikingly beautiful color is especially attractive. Since Lang T'ing-chi oversaw the production of ceramics there, it became known as "Lang-ware Red". The shape of this vessel is similar to the purification vase seen held in the hand of the Buddhist figure Kuan-yin, which is why it is also known as a Kuan-yin tsun-vase. The irregular shedding of the glaze at the mouth here is typical of the style of Lang-ware red.

Text: Yu P'ei-chin

 
Text and images are provided by National Palace Museum