The utilitarian storage jar is one of the most useful ceramics to have emerged from ancient Chinese kilns. Its basic structure—a compact container with four lugs on the shoulder, suitable for packing, shipping, and storage—was imitated throughout East and Southeast Asia. A complement to the exhibition Chigusa and the Art of Tea (on view February 22–July 27, 2014), this display of ten jars includes the prototypical Chinese version, as well as variations from Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, and Burma.
Jar with three horizontal lugs, F1994.16.