Page 27 - Yuan Dynasty Ceramics

Chapter 07 (pp. 330-385)_Layout 1 7/7/10 5:42 PM Page 356

7.36. One of a pair of covered jars with underglaze cobalt blue
and copper red decoration, Yuan dynasty, second quarter of the
fourteenth century. Made in Jingdezhen, recovered in 1964 from
Baoding, Hebei province. Hebei Provincial Museum.

Madame Ling, discussed later. Many of the vessel forms
and decorative motifs in this cache are related to other art
forms more valuable to the Mongols than porcelain, such
as gold silver, jade, and textiles (Fig. 7.38). For example,
the dense complex designs of kesi (tapestry woven) tex-
tiles recur on blue and white as well as the related blue
and red decorated porcelain (see Figs. 7.35, 7.36, 7.38).
The beautiful pair of faceted meiping have reserve white
four-claw dragons amid waves akin to the dragons on the
sleeves of the clothing worn by Wenzong and Mingzong
in their imperial portraits; indeed, the sinuous dragons on
the meiping are bounded by a zone of peonies at the base
and a zone of phoenix among lotus around the shoulder
not unlike woven tapestry (kesi) cloud collar medallions
created by Uighur Turkic tribesmen in eastern central
7.35. One of a pair of octagonal covered wine bottles (meiping)
97
with facets and reserve-white four-claw dragons amid waves, Asia in the eleventh to twelfth centuries. In addition,
Yuan dynasty, second quarter of the fourteenth century, 51.4 cm these zones are bounded by cloud collar lappets, a popu-
tall. Made in Jingdezhen, recovered in 1964 in Baoding, Hebei lar design convention used for kesi by the Uighurs. 98
province. Hebei Provincial Museum.
Such groups of four cloud collar lappets on the shoul-
ders of the jars and faceted meiping are reminiscent of a
quatrefoil collar worn over a garment; it is as if the body

356 Yuan Dynasty Ceramics