Other Ceramics in National Palace Museum, part2

Welcome to the National Palace Museum's collection of ceramics from the Tang and Song dynasties! Here you can explore some of the most intricate and beautiful pieces of pottery ever made. From the Pottery figure of ladies playing polo game in sancai tri-color glaze to the White porcelain vase with loops, Xing ware, there is something for everyone here. We also have Sancai figure of a Lokapala, Guardian King, Pottery figure of a standing lady with painted colors, Teapot with blue landscape in falangcai polychrome enamels, Bowl with Blue Landscape in Falangcai Painted Enamels and Porcelain chicken cup in doucai painted enamels. Come take a look at these incredible artifacts today!

1. Pottery figure of ladies playing polo game in sancai tri-color glaze

Lavish funerals became popular in the Tang dynasty, with grave goods being exceptionally resplendent. Various figurines of different sizes were fashioned from clay and then covered with yellow, white, green, and brown low-temperature glazes, creating a beautiful and dazzling effect. The lady is riding on a yellow horse with a colorful saddle. The horse is robust, its four strong legs standing on a rectangular stand, as if waiting for a command The lady turns to the side with her head slightly leaning forward Her left hand holds a halter and the right a polo stick

2. White porcelain vase with loops, Xing ware

The Xing kilns were an important producer of Northern white wares located in the NeiQiu and Lincheng regions of modern-day Hepei province. The ceramics manufactured by these kilns are characterized by their fine clay bodies and pure white glaze, which early connoisseurs compared to silver and snow. Carrying flasks were commonly used in the Tang for holding water and were produced in particularly large quantities by the Xing kilns.

3. Sancai figure of a Lokapala, Guardian King

This enormous tri-color Virüdhaka once served as a tomb guardian used to ward off evil. The sculpture, covered mainly with bright green, brown, and white glaze colors, was donated by the wife of former Japanese Prime Minister Eisaku Sato.

4. Pottery figure of a standing lady with painted colors

During the Tang dynasty, particular emphasis was placed on elaborate funerary ritual which often included large quantities of grave goods. These were intended both to provide for the dead in the afterlife and to glorify the wealth of the deceased's family. As a result, Tang burial frequently included large numbers of earthenware tomb figurines.

5. Teapot with blue landscape in falangcai polychrome enamels

This teapot has a wide mouth and relatively squat body, curved handle, tubular spout, flat base and concave foot. The lid has a flattened top and a round knob with a hole to let air in. The teapot is decorated with landscape panels on both sides. The background of the panels and the lid are decorated with paintings of flowers found throughout the year. The porcelain body is thin and lustrous, fine and delicate. The base bears the reign mark with four Chinese characters, in two columns of two in the style of the Song dynasty, that reads "Made in the Reign of the Yongzheng Emperor." The monotone paintings resemble those found on other teapots with enamel glaze colors.

6. Bowl with Blue Landscape in Falangcai Painted Enamels

Compared to enamelware ceramics of the Kangxi reign (1662-1722), official wares of the Yongzheng reign developed in a more image-oriented direction in terms of the surface decorations of vessels. The color of the base was replaced by white glaze, with enamelware painters often treating the plain white surface of the vessel like blank paper or silk in a painting. Whether it was court painters taking up the brush themselves to create images or just providing drafts for craftsmen to copy in producing ceramics, the pursuit of imitating the elegant pastimes of painting and calligraphy practiced by literati resulted in images on enamelware porcelains becoming increasingly refined and delicate, fully reaching the level of art practiced in the Painting Academy.

7. Porcelain chicken cup in doucai painted enamels

Late Ming collectors prized blue and white porcelain from the Xuande reign above all other ceramics, followed by wucai porcelain from the official kilns of the Chenghua reign. In the eyes of collectors at the time, wucai refers to this type of doucai porcelain. Of the Chenghua doucai works in the collections of the National Palace Museum, the decorative patterns on the cups are the most varied, including cups with grape patterns, cups with babies playing together, cups depicting great scholars, tall-footed cups with flower and bird patterns, and of course, the renowned chicken cups.

8. Zun in the form of an elephant of peace

This object takes the form of an elephant with a vase on its back. The elephant stands straight with its head turned back and eyes partially closed. On its back is a saddle in the shape of a Chinese-style bullion, on which is a vase. The decoration of the saddle brocade symbolizes the mountains of longevity in seas of prosperity, chimes of auspiciousness for plenty, and times of peace.

9. Monk's cap ewer with ruby red glaze

The top of this ewer, with its stepped rim in three levels, resembles the cap worn by Tang dynasty monks, from which this type of ewer derives its name. It has a pointed spout and a flat handle decorated with a "ju-i" motif at both ends. In addition, it is attached to the curvature of the belly at one end and the rim at the other. The top of this ewer, with its stepped rim in three levels, resembles the cap worn by Tang dynasty monks, from which this type of ewer derives its name It has a pointed spout and a flat handle decorated with a "ju-i" motif at both ends In addition, it is attached to the curvature of the belly at one end and the rim at the other The upper part of the handle has an extension that goes vertically up, ending at the same height as the rim The vase has a straight neck, a rounded belly, and a ring foot The lid, which is staggered in three levels, has a round knob At one end of the lid is a small hole; the other end is extended out to ensure a close fit with the spout The vase is completely covered in a vibrant red glaze, the surface of which is pitted due to minute bubbles in the glaze in an effect known as "orange peel" The glaze is thinner at the rim, foot, base of the rim, and along the edges of the handle, revealing a white border at these places. The inside and bottom of the base are white with a hint of green The body itself is very thin throughout, and the original color is visible at the ring foot, showing it to be a delicate, pure white slightly speckled with iron spots There is no reign mark, although the base is inscribed with a poem written by the Qianlong Emperor (r 1736-1795)

10. Black pottery stemcup