China - Jar And Saucer With Lead Glaze - Ming Dynasty

Assembled from a small globular jar and its deep saucer, the whole is draped in a rich green lead glaze. This specific verdant shade, reminiscent of moss clinging to river stones, is a signature of provincial production, often associated with kilns in southern China. This ensemble belongs to the category of funerary or domestic ceramics of daily life. - The Jar: Its ovoid body tapers to a flat unglazed base, revealing a shard of buff-colored stoneware. The short neck is rimmed with a honey-amber glaze, creating a striking chromatic contrast with the deep green of the body. The jar's small size suggests a container for precious or concentrated substances. It was probably used to store ointments, cosmetics, rare spices or pigments. - The Saucer: Large and shallow, it serves as a stage for the jar. Here, the glaze is speckled, with areas of "shrinkage" and accumulation that suggest an existence lived in close proximity to heat and humidity. Unglazed flat base. Not only decorative, it was also used to collect any spillage from the jar or to stabilize the object on an irregular surface. Together, they form a functional unit typical of literate or bourgeois interiors of the period. The inside of the saucer shows a silvery iridescence, often referred to as "glaze decomposition". Not a defect, it occurs when lead glazes have been buried in damp soil for hundreds of years, chemically reacting with the earth to create a pearly skin.
Origin:China.
Era:Ming dynasty (1368-1644).
Dimensions:Jar:Height: 7 cm; Diameter: 8 and 4.5 cm;Saucer:Diameter: 14 cm; Height: 2.5 cm.
Conditions:Very good condition, excavation irisations marked; slight glaze chips consistent with age.
Provenance:Private French collection.