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Jar

About early 9th century

North China

Stoneware with glaze

H. 4 3/8 x Diam. 6 1/4 in. (11.1 x 15.9 cm)

Asia Society, New York: Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection, 1979.129

The remnants of an inscription written with a brush in black ink on the base of this cuspidor-shaped jar help to date this piece to about C.E. 835, as the inscription provides the year the piece was purchased. The glaze on the jar is thick, black and elegant. Black glazes appear to have been used primarily to decorate common objects rather than those intended for court or as burial goods, although, the fact that the piece was inscribed suggests that it might have been considered important. The function of the jar, however, remains elusive. Although it is in the shape of a cuspidor or spittoon, it is possible that this jar may have been used in the drinking of tea, possibly as a receptacle for used leaves. Tea drinking was popular in China during the Tang dynasty and this elegant vessel might be an early example of an object that was dedicated to this practice.