Vase with Peonies and Five Spouts (900s–1000s): Art, History and Details

Vase with Peonies and Five Spouts (900s–1000s) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

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

"In full autumn wind and dew the kilns of Yue open; And a thousand peaks are despoiled of their halcyon green" (translated by S. W. Bushell). These 9th-century poetic lines glorify the highly prized green-glazed Yue wares of the Tang period. This later example has a pale green glaze that is glassy and consistent, which indicates a precise control of the glaze components as well the kiln atmosphere by reducing the amount of oxygen at some stage during the firing.

Object facts

• Title: Vase with Peonies and Five Spouts
• Date: 900s–1000s
• Culture: China, Zhejiang province, Hangzhou, Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279)
• Type: Ceramic
• Technique: green-glazed porcelaneous stoneware with incised decoration, Yue ware
• Dimensions: Diameter: 16.2 cm (6 3/8 in.); Overall: 26.4 cm (10 3/8 in.)
• Collection: China - Five Dynasties
• Department: Chinese Art
• Accession number: 1989.270

Collection credit

Bequest of Mrs. Severance A. Millikin

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.