Blue and White Jar with Two Mounted Warriors, Yuan Dynasty

PP-0150

Description

A wide, squat blue and white jar with a short upright neck, broad shoulders and sides narrowing to a small foot. The main band shows two warriors on galloping horses in a lakeside landscape of pines, bamboo, reeds, plantain and rocks, with a bird in flight above the water. One bearded rider swings a curved dao sword; the other charges with a long spear held out before him, his scarves streaming behind. The blue is deep and dark, with fine washes for the water and the riders' robes.

A lattice band of small flowers circles the neck, and a peony scroll with leafy stems fills the shoulder. Round the lower body, a band of upright arched panels encloses trefoil cloud motifs above small rings. The glaze shows a fine crackle, and the flat base is unglazed, with throwing rings in the buff clay.