General information:

This porcelain jar has painted details in cobalt blue and is converted in a transparent glaze. According to the marking on the shoulder of the jar this was made in the Xuande period. That dates this jar around 1426-35. This jar was created for court. The details depict a dragon flying through the sky, as can be told from the clouds around it. On the shoulder of the jar there is a repeating pattern of a monstrous face that is derived from the kirtimukha. This face is often shown in Indo-Himalayan imagery, but was also popular in China during this time. 

Eli’s Observations:

This work contains a good variety of patterns and not repetitive imagery. At the bottom of the jar there appears to be a petal like pattern, though they could be a number of other things, one example being houses, but due to the typical pattern of flowers, petals make the most sense to me. The neck and shoulder of the jar are also good examples of the patterns as the clouds and faces both repeat. For non repetitive images the clouds on the rest of the jar and the dragon show a different mix of images. Even though all the clouds follow a very similar wispy design they are all distinguishable from one another. As for the dragon, it is the focal point of the whole piece so having a repetitious design would have taken away from the power that the dragon holds in this depiction. The dragon appears as though it is ready to attack from having its claws out to the characteristic “S” shape that reptiles (such as snakes) go into why they are preparing to attack. While the dragon has scales, fangs, and claws, it also appears to have hair, mainly shown as a mustache and eyebrows. This is most likely to relate back to high officials who likely shared the same features as a way to state their power.