Marbled Bowl (1100s): Art, History and Details

Marbled Bowl (1100s) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

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

This bowl was potted using the marbling technique called jiaotai (mixed clay), whereby light- and dark-colored clays are combined to create natural patterns, then covered with a transparent glaze. The marbling technique had been developed since the 8th century in imitation of the marbled glassware imported from Persia. Song marbled ware represented the continuation of the Tang tradition, achieving simplicity and vibrancy in aesthetic effects.

Object facts

• Title: Marbled Bowl
• Date: 1100s
• Culture: China, possibly Henan province, Xinwu, Dangyangyu, Northern Song dynasty (960-1127)
• Type: Ceramic
• Technique: glazed stoneware
• Dimensions: Diameter: 7 x 13.3 cm (2 3/4 x 5 1/4 in.)
• Collection: Chinese Art
• Department: Chinese Art
• Accession number: 2012.449

A detail from the museum

The marbling technique used to create this bowl imitates Persian marbled glass.

Collection credit

Gift of Donna and James Reid

Further reading listed by the museum

• “Art of Asia Acquired by North American Museums, 2011-2012.” Archives of Asian Art, vol. 63, no. 2, 2013, pp. 215–276.

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.