Lady Holding a Vase
Unknown Artist
1100s–1200s
Medium
Stoneware with slip decoration, Cizhou ware
Dimensions
19.7 × 9.5 cm
Classification
Ceramic
Department
Chinese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
John L. Severance Fund
Accession Number
1957.56
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
The Cizhou ware kilns never produced for the imperial court, but made potted utensils needed in daily life. They also fired ceramic figurines, which are believed to have been used as toys. The maid or palace lady here holds a long-necked vase of a type that watered flowers. The figurine, perhaps made as a toy for a girl, was molded in clay and covered with a white slip and transparent glaze, over which some colors in red, green, and ocher were applied. Cizhou kiln potters were one of the first i...