Eastern Art Online, Yousef Jameel Centre for Islamic and Asian Art

Ashmolean − Eastern Art Online, Yousef Jameel Centre for Islamic and Asian Art

The Barlow Collection

A select catalogue of the Barlow collection of Chinese Ceramics, Bronzes and Jades by the University of Sussex (published Sussex, 2006).

The Barlow Collection by the University of Sussex

Publications online: 456 objects

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Greenware funerary vase with tiger, a puppy, and bird

  • loan
  • Literature notes

    The heavily made vase has slightly convex sides on a splayed foot with low footring, an angled, sloping shoulder, a tall neck with flared rounded rim, and a shallow domed cover, also with flared rim. A freely modelled tiger is attached to the shoulder, its tail curled round the neck of the vase, its mouth open with sharp fangs, bulging eyes, bushy eyebrows, rounded ears, its paws and flecked coat indicated by incised markings. A sun (inscribed ri, ‘sun’) on a cloud is attached above it, and on the other side of the vase a simply modelled puppy and stylized plants. The cover is incised with concentric lines and applied with a bird as knob, perched on three radiating leaves with curled-up tips, its beak raised high up in the air, all with details incised. The glaze is of olive-green colour, the rims and the base were left unglazed and have fired to a pale reddish brown, the base shows a ring of bar-shaped spur marks. The cover was fired in place and removed by force, causing parts of the rim of the vase to adhere to it.
  • Details

    Associated place
    AsiaChinaZhejiang province Longquan kilns (place of creation)
    Date
    12th century (1101 - 1200)
    Southern Song Dynasty (1127 - 1279)
    Material and technique
    stoneware, thrown, with incised decoration under a green glaze; figurines hand-modelled and luted to the vase with slip; unglazed base; unglazed rim
    Dimensions
    with lid 28 cm (height)
    12 cm (diameter)
    at foot 8.4 cm (diameter)
    Material index
    Technique index
    Object type index
    containervessel vase,
    No. of items
    2
    Credit line
    Lent by the Sir Alan Barlow Collection Trust.
    Accession no.
    LI1301.257
  • Further reading

    University of Sussex, and Arts and Humanities Research Council, The Barlow Collection, supervised by Regina Krahl, Maurice Howard, and Aiden Leeves (Sussex: University of Sussex, 2006), no. C249

Glossary (4)

glaze, luted, slip, stoneware

  • glaze

    Vitreous coating applied to the surface of a ceramic to make it impermeable or for decorative effect.

  • luted

    The fusion of parts of ceramics using dilute clay slip.

  • slip

    A semi-fluid clay applied to a ceramic before glazing either to coat the surface or for decorative effect.

  • stoneware

    Ceramic material made of clay which is fired to a temperature of c.1200-1300⁰c and is often buff or grey in colour.

Location

    • currently in research collection

Objects are sometimes moved to a different location. Our object location data is usually updated on a monthly basis. Contact the Jameel Study Centre if you are planning to visit the museum to see a particular object on display, or would like to arrange an appointment to see an object in our reserve collections.

 

Publications online

  • The Barlow Collection by the University of Sussex

    The Barlow Collection

    The heavily made vase has slightly convex sides on a splayed foot with low footring, an angled, sloping shoulder, a tall neck with flared rounded rim, and a shallow domed cover, also with flared rim. A freely modelled tiger is attached to the shoulder, its tail curled round the neck of the vase, its mouth open with sharp fangs, bulging eyes, bushy eyebrows, rounded ears, its paws and flecked coat indicated by incised markings. A sun (inscribed ri, ‘sun’) on a cloud is attached above it, and on the other side of the vase a simply modelled puppy and stylized plants. The cover is incised with concentric lines and applied with a bird as knob, perched on three radiating leaves with curled-up tips, its beak raised high up in the air, all with details incised. The glaze is of olive-green colour, the rims and the base were left unglazed and have fired to a pale reddish brown, the base shows a ring of bar-shaped spur marks. The cover was fired in place and removed by force, causing parts of the rim of the vase to adhere to it.
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