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Ming Period Swatow / Zhangzhou Stoneware Jar

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:70.00 USD Estimated At:300.00 - 500.00 USD
Ming Period Swatow / Zhangzhou Stoneware Jar
Presented in this lot is a late Ming Period Swatow / Zhangzhou Stoneware Jar. Swatow ware is generally coarse, crudely potted and often under-fired. Decoration in underglaze blue and white using cobalt is the most common. Underglaze blue decoration had been common in Chinese ceramics for over two centuries. The traditional name in the West arose because Swatow, or present-day Shantou, was the South Chinese port in Guangdong province from which the wares were thought to have been shipped. The many kilns were probably located all over the coastal region, but mostly near Zhangzhou. This jar has the characteristic blue and greyish white colouring typical of Blue White Stoneware often associated with the Ming dynasty. A fishing village with a junk fishing boat at a dock is the central motif while the rest of the jar features fish in the water, two figures sitting in a small boat. This piece has grit from the kiln on the glaze at the foot, indicating rather careless making, a consistent characteristic of this type of stoneware. Crazing is exhibited throughout. Chips noted on both mouth and foot. Jar measures 6"W x 7.25"H, mouth is 3.5"W, foot is 4"W.