Lidded jar with heavenly steed design in doucai painted enamels, Ming dynasty, Chenghua reign (1465-1487)-China Archive

Image Number: K1B018171N000000000PAE
Dynasty: Ming dynasty
Category: Ceramics
Function: Container
Material: Minerals/Ceramics/
Description:
Round mouth, short neck, plump shoulders, large abdomen, slightly closed bottom, shallow circle feet, with flat top cover. The outer wall of the pot is painted with horses flying in the sea and clouds. The Tianma has two green, one red and one yellow colors. The shoulder and bottom are painted with a banana leaf pattern. The cover is slightly arched, and the wave red colored Tianma is painted on the top. The cover is decorated with a cloud pattern around the edge. On the bottom of the jar is a blue and white book with the word “Heaven”. The blue and white glaze is green, and the alum red, yellow and green colors are bright. The white glaze at the bottom of the cover turns yellow. The Chenghua Coloured Heavenly Horse shaped jar has not been handed down to many generations. In recent years, a series of “Tian” shaped jars have been unearthed from the formation of Chenghua Official Kiln in the Ming Dynasty in Zhushan, Jingdezhen, including the Heavenly Horse, Sea Beasts, Flying Elephants, Panchi, Twinkling Lotus, and Lotus Eight Auspicious Patterns. This kind of lids is delicate, with the shape and size similar to the Wanli colorful tea lids, or they are all lids containing tea.