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Storage Jar

15th century

Vietnam

Stoneware painted with underglaze cobalt blue

H. 13 1/8 x Diam. 14 in. (33.3 x 35.6 cm)

Asia Society, New York: Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection, 1979.98

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The lush rhythmic peony scroll encircling the body and the lions and deer on the shoulder of this Vietnamese storage jar are derived from Chinese prototypes but are not slavish copies. The spirited brushwork as well as the jar's heavier body differentiate the piece from its Chinese counterparts. Although the technique of painting with underglaze cobalt blue may have reached Vietnam from China before the 15th century, significant Chinese influence in Vietnamese ceramics came from the Ming-period Chinese annexation of Vietnam from 1407 to 1428 when the occupiers attempted to transform Vietnam into a Chinese province. Ironically, Vietnam's successful venture into the manufacture and export of trade ceramics, which was in direct competition with Chinese wares, was greatly aided by this experience as Vietnamese workshops became able to produce quality ceramics in the Chinese style. The Chinese court's prohibition of ceramic trade between 1436 and 1465 further spurred the development of the Vietnamese ceramic industry in the 15th century as the Vietnamese were able to step in to provide goods that were no longer available from China.