The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 19, 2024

Covered Jar with Carved Lotus Petals

Covered Jar with Carved Lotus Petals

386–581 CE
(386-581)
Glazed stoneware
Lid: 2.8 x 14.1 cm (1 1/8 x 5 9/16 in.); vessel only: 21.8 x 24.3 cm (8 9/16 x 9 9/16 in.)
Gift of Donna and James Reid 2017.16
Location: 241B Arts of Ancient China

Description

This jar still has its original cover, which is rare among surviving examples. Its missing knob most likely had the shape of a lotus bud. Beautifully carved lotus petals cover the vessel’s shoulder and lid under a translucent green glaze. In Buddhism, the lotus is a flower symbolizing purity and detachment from worldly affairs; its presence suggests that this vessel was meant to be used in a religious context. The well-crafted double loop handles may have held a silk cloth or other textile that would have been folded over the lid to keep it in place. This aesthetic prefigures the celebrated green celadons in adjacent regions.
  • 1997–2017
    Donna [b. 1931] and James Reid [1926–2020], Cleveland Heights, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    2017–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Von Spee, Clarissa. "Acquisition Highlights: Asian Art.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine vol. 58. no. 2 (March/April 2018): 10-11. Reproduced and Mentioned: P. 10.
  • Recent Acquisitions. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 17-June 7, 2018).
  • {{cite web|title=Covered Jar with Carved Lotus Petals|url=false|author=|year=386–581 CE|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2017.16