Late Qing Dynasty Chinese Yixing Clay Vase With Stand

Item Details

A late Qing dynasty (1644-1911) Chinese Yixing zisha clay vase with a wooden stand. The vase has a flared lip and wide cylindrical neck over a tapered body. Pottery of this type is known as zisha in China, meaning ‘purple clay’ due to the deep brown heliotrope hue, originating from Yixing County in southern Jiangsu Province. It is commonly used for teapots due to its slightly absorbent qualities and is less commonly seen in vases and other decorative wares. The burnished brown clay vase is decorated with a depiction of a scholar and crane with an accompanying poem in running cursive script alongside an artist’s signature (會心空作). An unidentified mark is incised on the base of the vase. The piece rests on a hand carved custom wood base. 1938.0224

Provenance
Collected in the late 19th and early 20th century and donated to a Private Midwestern Institution in 1938
Sold to enhance and preserve the Institution’s mission-relevant Collections

Condition

- a large area of damage with visible repair work and restoration; damage to the wooden base.

Dimensions

Item #

17COL077-087