David Vases Interactive image

We're told that the vases were purpose-made to be offered as donations at a temple, and that the name of their donor is Zhang Wenjin, who describes himself with great solemnity as a disciple of the holy gods. It gives his home town, Shuncheng in what is now Jiangxi province, a few hundred miles south-west of Shanghai. He was offering these two grand vases along with an incense-burner - the three would have formed a typical set for an altar. The incense-burner has been lost, or at least has not yet been found. The specific deity receiving the offering had only recently become a god. He is General Hu Jingyi, a military figure of the thirteenth century, who was elevated to divine status because of his supernatural power and wisdom, and his ability to foretell the future. Zhang Wenjin's altar set is offered in exchange for this new god's protection. The David Vases - 100 Objects British Museum (google.com)

There are leaves and flowers at the foot and at the neck of the vases, but the main body of each vase has a slender Chinese dragon flying around it - elongated, scaled and bearded, with piercing claws and surrounded by trailing clouds. https://sites.google.com/site/100objectsbritishmuseum/home/the-david-vases The David Vases - 100 Objects British MuseumThe David Vases (made in 1351). Porcelain; from China "In Xanadu did Kubla Khan A stately pleasure-dome decree: Where Alph, the sacred river, ran...Google

Porcelain was first produced in China around AD 600. The skillful transformation of ordinary clay into beautiful objects has captivated the imagination of people throughout history and across the globe. Chinese ceramics, by far the most advanced in the world, were made for the imperial court, the domestic market, or for export. The David Vases — Google Arts & Culture

Originally the vases, modelled after bronzes, had porcelain rings attached through the elephant head shaped handles. https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/the-david-vases/dgEjTbxKC2D5mA The David Vases - Google Arts & CultureThese vases are among the most important examples of blue-and-white porcelain in existence, and are probably the best-known porcelain vases in the...Google Arts & Culture

These vases are among the most important examples of blue-and-white porcelain in existence, and are probably the best-known porcelain vases in the world.https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/south-east-se-asia/china-art/a/the-david-vases-chinese-porcelain The David Vases (Chinese porcelain) (article) | Khan AcademyIf you're seeing this message, it means we're having trouble loading external resources on our...Khan Academy

The David Vases were made during the reign of the foreign Yuan dynasty (1279-1368), when China was at the heart of a vast Mongol Empire. Trade flourished between China and the Middle East and cobalt, used to create the blue effect, came from the other side of the empire in Iran. Archaeologists have unearthed materials which now show that Yuan dynasty blue-and-white porcelain was made for several different markets, rather than solely for export as was once thought. Different consumers demanded specific forms, sizes and designs. http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/objects/nEO59KLxRoGD4hW9LD-L_g

The dedicationThe dedication records that in 1351 a man named Zhang Wenjin from Yushan county presented these two vases and an incense burner (the whereabouts of which is unknown), to a Daoist temple in Xingyuan (modern day Wuyuan county). Yushan county is in northeast Jiangxi, which lies 120 km to the southeast of Jingdezhen, where these vases were made. This inscription demonstrates that blue-and-white porcelain production was already well-established at Jingdezhen by 1351. Originally the vases, modeled after bronzes, had porcelain rings attached through the elephant head shaped handles.https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/south-east-se-asia/china-art/a/the-david-vases-chinese-porcelain The David Vases (Chinese porcelain) (article) | Khan AcademyIf you're seeing this message, it means we're having trouble loading external resources on our...Khan Academy

They were made for the altar of a Daoist temple and their importance lies in the dated inscriptions on one side of their necks, above the bands of dragons. The long dedication is the earliest known on Chinese blue-and-white wares. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/south-east-se-asia/china-art/a/the-david-vases-chinese-porcelain The David Vases (Chinese porcelain) (article) | Khan AcademyIf you're seeing this message, it means we're having trouble loading external resources on our...Khan Academy