bowl with two violet spots

 
bowl with two violet spots
Image Rights & Reproductions Requirements

Related Artworks

X-Radiographic

Warning: This post is somewhat technical, kind of lengthy, and it has an example of early recycling near the end. A former professor of mine recently called with some technical questions about the Conservation Department’s new x-ray equipment. Instead of responding to him via e-mail I thought I would provide a kind of open response here. And why not, right? It just might be interesting to you and perhaps also to my colleagues in the conservation world. Besides, in my mind, the IMA’s blog seems to be the perfect place to discuss x-radiography considering the previous non sequiturs of Cheesecake and Redbuds.

 

I’m a little worried, though, because I doubt many of the folks upstairs realize that we have the capacity to produced x-rays down here in the basement and this might make them a bit nervous. I think it’s fair to say that most people have a fear of x-rays for good reason, because they have the potential to change humans on the atomic level, and that’s unnatural at best; but, trust me, we’ve taken a lot of safety precautions to make sure that all of the x-rays that we produce stay in the room that they are produced in. The room is an enclosed space that is lined all the way around with an 1/8 of an inch of lead. We use a Geiger counter to confirm that this room is successfully containing the energy.
Nationality
Chinese
Creation date
Dynasty
Jin dynasty
Materials
stoneware with opalescent blue glaze, Jun (Chun) ware
Dimensions
3 1/2 x 6 in.
Credit line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Eli Lilly
Accession number
47.131
Collection
Asian
Not Currently On View

The soft, celestial-blue color of Jun ware was a welcomed change from the earlier earthier tones. Splotches of purple can be independent of, yet enliven, the meticulously crafted shapes. 

Mr. and Mrs. Eli Lilly; given to the John Herron Art Institute, now the Indianapolis Museum of Art, in 1947.
Reproduction of these images, including downloading, is prohibited without written authorization from VAGA.

350 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2820
New York, NY 10118
Tel: 212-736-6666
Fax: 212-736-6767
e-mail: info@vagarights.com
site: http://www.vaga.org/

Indianapolis Museum of Art: Highlights of the Collection (2005)

The only decoration on this deep bowl, besides the soft blue glaze, is two irregular spots of violet, which seem almost ephemeral. The vessel is an especially restrained example of Jun ware, a type of ceramic named after the location of its production and prized for its milky, opalescent blue glaze, which was unprecedented in Chinese ceramics.

The bowl’s violet spots were the outcome of an intentional accident. Jun ceramists exploited subtle, complex effects that resulted from copper splashes during the firing process as part of the spontaneous beauty of their works, whereas later ceramists strove to manage every effect of glazing and ring through technical expertise.

The bowl’s simple, deep, almost hemispherical shape balances upon a small foot. The thick blue glaze, pulled by gravity during firing, became thin at the top, revealing the light brown clay body at the bowl’s rim, which is handsomely complemented by the unglazed portion at the foot. The crazing, or crackle, especially evident in the bowl’s interior, highlights the depth of the glaze, much as slanting cracks in ice reveal its thickness.

Multicolored clouds in clear blue skies and purple mists were associated with Daoist omens. It may not be coincidental that Jun ware thrived as Daoism gained in popularity.