RARE JARRE EN GRES EMAILLE BLUE BLANC

With its powerful form, bold design, the characteristic ‘heaping and piling’ effect, the present Vietnamese storage jar seems to derive from Chinese Yuan ceramics. Although the technique of painting with underglaze cobalt blue may have reached Vietnam from China before the 15th century, important Chinese influence in Vietnamese ceramics emerged from the Chinese annexation of Vietnam from 1407 to 1428 during the Ming dynasty. Due to these cultural and commercial exchanges, Vietnamese ceramic workshops which were in direct competition with the Chinese export ceramics were able to produce high quality pieces in the Chinese style such as this present jar.
An almost identical blue and white storage jar, also dated 15th century, bearing the same peonies and buddhist lions decoration, is in the collection of the Asia Society, donated by Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd (museum number 1979.097). Also see a massive blue and white storage jar (84.5 cm. high) with moulded animal masks handles, dated 15-16th century, sold in Bonhams, San Francisco, 18 December 2017, lot 856.