Vase (Meiping) with Eight Daoist Immortals
Artist/maker unknown, Chinese
Geography:
Made in China, Asia
Date:
Mid- 14th centuryMedium:
Glazed stoneware with mold-impressed relief decoration (Longquan ware)Dimensions:
10 x 7 inches (25.4 x 17.8 cm)Curatorial Department:
East Asian ArtObject Location:
1964-58-1Credit Line:
Gift of Mrs. S. Emlen Stokes, 1964
Made in China, Asia
Date:
Mid- 14th centuryMedium:
Glazed stoneware with mold-impressed relief decoration (Longquan ware)Dimensions:
10 x 7 inches (25.4 x 17.8 cm)Curatorial Department:
East Asian ArtObject Location:
Currently not on view
Accession Number:1964-58-1Credit Line:
Gift of Mrs. S. Emlen Stokes, 1964
Label:
The Eight Immortals—Daoist symbols of longevity and happiness—are depicted in inset panels around this vase. During the Yuan dynasty, this group of legendary figures was featured in literature and plays, accounting for its popularity in the visual arts. The panels were covered with wax before the vase was dipped in glaze and fired. When the wax melted away in the kiln, they turned the brick red color seen here—the result of the re-oxidization of the clay as it cooled.
The Eight Immortals—Daoist symbols of longevity and happiness—are depicted in inset panels around this vase. During the Yuan dynasty, this group of legendary figures was featured in literature and plays, accounting for its popularity in the visual arts. The panels were covered with wax before the vase was dipped in glaze and fired. When the wax melted away in the kiln, they turned the brick red color seen here—the result of the re-oxidization of the clay as it cooled.
Philadelphia Museum of Art: Handbook of the CollectionsThis octagonal vase is one of only a handful of such vessels that combine a lustrous gray-green celadon glaze with unglazed red-brown panels. The process used to produce these wares is very exacting and difficult, which may explain why it was only used on a limited number of works. To achieve the bold contrast of colors and textures, Chinese potters developed a new technique: after the entire vase was formed, eight of the twenty-four molded decorative panels on its surface were covered with wax, and a celadon glaze was applied to the whole piece. When the vase was fired in the kiln, the glaze turned the green color known as celadon, while the wax melted from the panels, leaving them to turn the soft reddish brown hue of the clay itself. The figures on the panels represent the Eight Immortals of Chinese Taoist philosophy. Felice Fischer, from Philadelphia Museum of Art: Handbook of the Collections (1995), p. 29.
