#sancai ware

[desimonewayland]

A rare blue and amber-glazed reliquary and cover, Tang Dynasty

Sotheby's

Ceramic containers of this form, which evoke the form of Buddhist pagodas, are among the very few Buddhist objects that have been recovered from Tang tombs. While generally, they are covered entirely in sancai glazes or unglazed and painted, the present example is special for the sprig-moulded and glazed appliques, which recall contemporary metal ware encrusted with jewels and pearls. This technique was first used on ceramics in the Northern Qi dynasty (550-577) and became very popular on early Tang dynasty pottery.

[panicinthestudio]

@bandit1a, @chadlesbianjasontodd - Agreed, looting is clearly a potential source here and the provenance note is about as clear as some institutions are willing to be on the matter. I've appended the V&A collection descriptions and link, which clarifies that they are more broadly suggesting it is burial ware, purposefully made as an offering for the tomb.

The decoration implies a rather affluent and cosmopolitan owner or commissioning family. Three colour (sancai) ware was a very popular and exported style during the Tang dynasty, building from a tradition of Han dynasty and northern lead-based glazes on earthenware. This ceramic tradition carried into the Khitan Liao dynasty which would stretch from the northern Korean peninsula, Manchuria, southern elements of Siberia, north and northeastern China, and the Mongolian Plateau into central Asia. Lotuses point to the influence of Buddhism and the ideals of elevated purity, the peony is an emblem of honour and wealth, while the chrysanthemum is a symbol of autumn, nobility, and longevity.

liao dynasty lead-glazed stoneware jar with band of lotus, peony, and chrysanthemum, 1000-1125. possibly made to be placed in a tomb. green areas are partially iridescent.

[charlesreeza]

Tomb Guardians, glazed earthenware, early 700s, China, Tang Dynasty

Cleveland Museum of Art

[cma-chinese-art]

Tomb Guardian with Animal Head, early 700s, Cleveland Museum of Art: Chinese Art

With their fierce expressions and exaggerated physical features, these two fantastic guardian creatures were intended to guard the entrance to a tomb, warding off evil as well as keeping the soul of the deceased from wandering. Known as "earth spirits" or qitou, they are markedly different in appearance: one has an animal face and a pair of antlers growing above its eyebrows; the other sports a human face with huge protruding ears and a short horn surrounded by fiery, twisting hair. Their many elongated spikes heighten the fearful intensity. Size: Overall: 92.3 x 43.8 x 41.9 cm (36 5/16 x 17 1/4 x 16 1/2 in.) Medium: glazed earthenware, sancai (three-color) ware

https://clevelandart.org/art/2000.118.1

[traditional-chinese-art]

Tray- 8th century

Museum Description:

Combinations of white, amber, and green glazes, typically known as sancai or “three-colored” wares, were first developed in China in the late seventh century, and were used primarily for funerary goods. The bright colors, clear tones, and superior bonding power of this technique were achieved by firing twice, first at high temperature to achieve a hard pottery body, and then at low temperature, after the glazes were applied, to bring out the vibrant colors. The shape and medallion decor of this tray were derived from metalwork prototypes. The deep, intaglio lines of the floral patterns, impressed onto the surface of the still-soft clay by stamps, helped to contain the glaze in the intended areas. The pearl-like white spots on the rim were created by the use of wax or clay resists, a technique commonly employed in dyed textiles.

[harvard-art-museums-sculpture]

Funerary Model in the Form of a Single-Story, Tile-Roofed Building, Probably a Guard House, with a Locked Double Door and Two Windows with Grilles, 15th-16th century, HAM: Sculpture

Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. James E. Breece, III, in honor of James Cuno Size: 39.5 x 26 x 16 cm (15 9/16 x 10 1/4 x 6 5/16 in.) Medium: 'Sancai' ("three-color") ware: white earthenware with lead-fluxed, emerald-green and amber-brown glazes over molded white earthenware

https://www.harvardartmuseums.org/collections/object/101449

[da-tang]

Horse and rider, early 8th century, China, Tang dynasty (618–907)

Tomb Pottery

Earthenware with three-color (sancai) glaze and pigment

In style and subject matter, this horse and rider with sancai or "three-color" glaze is emblematic of funerary sculpture from the early eighth century, the apex of the Tang dynasty. Free-form splatters and drips of colored glaze were first experimented with in the sixth century and the sancai glazes, made by mixing copper, iron, and cobalt to create a lively spectrum of blues, greens, ambers, and yellows over a milky white background, became fashionable in the early Tang for funerary, utilitarian, and export wares. The distribution of glaze on this horse and rider displays a relative degree of control. The colors clarify, rather than obscure, steed, saddle, boot, tunic, and hood. Swift brushstrokes in black detail the rider's brow and mustache, as well as the saddle blanket and horse's eyes, while etched lines stress the animal's musculature. The horse itself was a potent image during the vigorous expansion of the Tang "golden age." Chargers such as this large horse were both the reward of military incursions to the west, and the foundation of imperial stability that would in turn encourage trade and prosperity over a vast empire. The most sought-after steeds were known as "blood-sweating horses"; raised in the western kingdom of Ferghana, they were sent in great numbers as tribute to the emperor. Horses also were a sign of wealth: strict sumptuary laws limited the use of the horses to people of a certain rank and even those serving in the military, such as the hooded soldier saluting from astride this horse, had to provide their own mount.

The Metropolitan Museum

[moryen]

Tomb Guardian with Animal Head 鎮墓獸

early 700s

China, probably Shaanxi province, Xi'an, Tang dynasty

Glazed earthenware, sancai (three-color) ware

Sancai (three-color) glazes in green, amber, and transparent white, plus expensive cobalt blue glaze, show the high social status of the tomb’s occupant.

With their fierce expressions and exaggerated physical features, fantastic guardian creatures were intended to guard the entrance to a tomb, warding off evil as well as keeping the soul of the deceased from wandering. Known as "earth spirits" or qitou, this one has an animal face and a pair of antlers growing above its eyebrows; the other sports a human face with huge protruding ears and a short horn surrounded by fiery, twisting hair. Their many elongated spikes heighten the fearful intensity. Before tomb sculptures were placed in the tomb, they were carried through the streets in a funerary procession. Funerary gifts provided the deceased with means for the afterlife. They were also an expression of filial piety and demonstrated the wealth and power of the descendants.

[japonesices]

<strong>Seated luohan, Liao dynasty (907–1125), ca. 1000 <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/maulleigh/">by Molly</a></strong> <br /><i>Via Flickr:</i> <br />Seated luohan, Liao dynasty (907–1125), ca. 1000

Yixian, Hebei Province, China Earthenware with three-color (sancai) glaze; H. 41 1/4 in. (104.8 cm) Frederick C. Hewitt Fund, 1921 (21.76)

Buddhist tradition tells of groups of 16, 18, or 500 luohans who were commanded by Buddha to await the coming of Maitreya, the Future Buddha. This promise of salvation held great appeal to Chinese Buddhists at the end of the ninth century, for they had just been through a period a great persecution, and a cult built around the luohans as guardians gained momentum at that time.

The Museum has two statues from a group of seated luohans purportedly found in a mountain cave near Yizhou, (now known as Yixian) in Hebei Province, and dating from this unsettled period. The polychromatic glaze covering the figures has strong parallels to the well-known sancai, or three-color, tradition found in earlier Tang-dynasty funerary figures. The high quality of the designs and the use of sophisticated techniques such as reinforcing rods have long led scholars to speculate that this example, and others from the set, may have been made at one of the imperial kilns, where large firing chambers and highly skilled craftsmen were available.

The discovery of a kiln in Longquanwu at Mentougou village (a western suburb of Beijing) in 1983 and the subsequent excavation in 1985 have provided much useful information regarding the "Yixian Luohans" as the group is often known. In addition to a considerable quantity of sancai ware, the site also yielded three half-lifesize Buddhist sculptures: a white ceramic Buddha with a painted robe, and two bodhisattvas covered in a sancai-type glaze. Parallels to sculptures produced during the Liao dynasty suggest that the works excavated at Longquanwu date to the second half of the tenth century, while the famous Luohans were made slightly later, probably during the early years of the reign of Shengzong (982–1031).

[peterhchurch]

There are so many museums in Beijing it would take a couple of weeks to see it all.

The National Museum of China (Chinese: 中国国家博物馆; pinyin: Zhōngguó guójiā bówùguǎn) flanks the eastern side of Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China. The museum’s mission is to educate about the arts and history of China. It is directed by the Ministry of Culture of the PRC.

It is one of the largest museums in the world, and with nearly 7.6 million visitors in 2016, the National Museum of China was the most visited museum in the world.

Collections

The museum, covering Chinese history from the  Yuanmon Man of 1.7 million years ago to the end of the Qing Dynasty (the last Imperial Dynasty in Chinese History), has a permanent collection of 1,050,000 items, with many precious and rare artifacts not to be found in museums anywhere else in China or the rest of the world.

Among the most important items in the National Museum of China are the “Simuwu Ding” from the Shang Dynasty (the heaviest piece of ancient bronze ware in the world, at 832.84 kg),the square shaped Shang Dynasty bronze zun decorated with four sheep heads, a large and rare inscribed Western Zhou Dynasty bronze water pan, a gold-inlaid Qin Dynasty bronze tally in the shape of a tiger, Han Dynasty jade burial suits sewn with gold thread, and a comprehensive collection of Tang Dynasty tri-colored glazed sancai and Song Dynasty ceramics.

The museum has a permanent exhibition called The Road to Rejuvenation, which details China’s century of humiliation.

  National Museum of China, Beijing There are so many museums in Beijing it would take a couple of weeks to see it all.

[sonolucent]

First stop @alfreduniversity Gallery Hop: @alfredceramicartmuseum (Wayne Higby “Mammoth Rock Beach,” Anne Currier “Inversion,” Val Cushing “Covered Jar #4, Column Series,” Peter Voulkos “San Lucas,” Kris Nelson “coffee set,” Eva Hild “Loop #1,” Matthew Metz @metzpottery “covered jar,” Jamie Smith @jamiezanesmithceramics “Trigram Vision,” Liao Dynasty Sancai Ceramic Pillow 907-1125, Staffordshire Ware “Pink Lusterware plaque, The Bottle” c. 1860) (at Alfred Ceramic Art Museum)

[cma-chinese-art]

Tomb Guardians, early 700s, Cleveland Museum of Art: Chinese Art

With their fierce expressions and exaggerated physical features, these two fantastic guardian creatures were intended to guard the entrance to a tomb, warding off evil as well as keeping the soul of the deceased from wandering. Known as "earth spirits" or qitou, they are markedly different in appearance: one has an animal face and a pair of antlers growing above its eyebrows; the other sports a human face with huge protruding ears and a short horn surrounded by fiery, twisting hair. Their many elongated spikes heighten the fearful intensity. Size: Part 1: 92.3 x 43.8 x 41.9 cm (36 5/16 x 17 1/4 x 16 1/2 in.); Part 2: 88.9 x 41 x 50.8 cm (35 x 16 1/8 x 20 in.) Medium: glazed earthenware, sancai (three-color) ware

https://clevelandart.org/art/2000.118

[cma-chinese-art]

Lamp Stand with Coiling Dragons and Lotus Design, 581-907, Cleveland Museum of Art: Chinese Art

Size: height: 22.8 cm (9 in.) Medium: Glazed earthenware, sancai (three-color ware)

https://clevelandart.org/art/2017.13

[cma-chinese-art]

Ewer, 700-750, Cleveland Museum of Art: Chinese Art

Many sancai or "three-color" lead-glazed wares-such as this ewerare notable for their heavy dependence on metalwork prototypes. Such polychrome glazed wares were intended for the tomb. Size: Diameter: 13.5 cm (5 5/16 in.); Overall: 27.3 cm (10 3/4 in.) Medium: glazed earthenware, sancai (three-color ware)

https://clevelandart.org/art/1987.148

[cma-chinese-art]

Tomb Guardian with Human Face, early 700s, Cleveland Museum of Art: Chinese Art

With their fierce expressions and exaggerated physical features, these two fantastic guardian creatures were intended to guard the entrance to a tomb, warding off evil as well as keeping the soul of the deceased from wandering. Known as "earth spirits" or qitou, they are markedly different in appearance: one has an animal face and a pair of antlers growing above its eyebrows; the other sports a human face with huge protruding ears and a short horn surrounded by fiery, twisting hair. Their many elongated spikes heighten the fearful intensity. Size: Overall: 88.9 x 41 x 50.8 cm (35 x 16 1/8 x 20 in.) Medium: glazed earthenware, sancai (three-color) ware

https://clevelandart.org/art/2000.118.2

[cma-chinese-art]

Headrest with Three Lions, 916-1125, Cleveland Museum of Art: Chinese Art

Size: Overall: 13.4 x 37.9 x 18.2 cm (5 1/4 x 14 15/16 x 7 3/16 in.) Medium: Glazed earthenware, sancai (three-color ware)

https://clevelandart.org/art/2017.15