Flat Dish Made of Marbled Clay (960–1234): Art, History and Details

Flat Dish Made of Marbled Clay (960–1234) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Using the marbling technique, in which light- and dark-colored clays are kneaded together (jiaotai; 絞胎), this dish is entirely covered with a transparent glaze, further enhancing the contrasting effect. The mixed clay technique had been used in northern China since the Tang dynasty (618–906), suggesting that potters may have attempted to imitate the effect of precious marbled glass from the ancient Near East that was traded via the Silk Road. The Keithleys acquired this dish to accompany the monumental ink drawing Poetic Pattern of Song Ware (CMA 2020.146) in their collection, that was inspired by such a ceramic.

Object facts

• Title: Flat Dish Made of Marbled Clay
• Date: 960–1234
• Culture: North or Central China, Northern Song (960–1127) or Jin dynasty (1115–1234)
• Type: Ceramic
• Technique: Stoneware with marbled clay and transparent glaze
• Dimensions: Diameter: 16.8 cm (6 5/8 in.)
• Collection: China - Song Dynasty
• Department: Chinese Art
• Accession number: 2020.187

A detail from the museum

This dish features lively contrasting black and beige clay marbling underneath a transparent glaze.

Collection credit

Nancy F. and Joseph P. Keithley Collection Gift

Further reading listed by the museum

• Christie's Hong Kong. Chinese ceramics from the Yangdetang Collection. 30 November 2016.
• Von Spee, Clarissa. "Chinese Ceramics and Works on Paper." In The Keithley Collection at the Cleveland Museum of Art, edited by Heather Lemonedes Brown, 194–229. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2022.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.