Antique 17th Century Chinese Blue and White Porcelain Jar with Lacquered Wood Lid - Late Ming / Early Qing Dynasty Export Guan Jar
This striking blue and white underglaze porcelain jar (guan) dates to the 17-18 th Century (Late Ming to Early Qing Dynasty). Beautifully potted with a robust, tapered body, it features a continuous hand-painted interlocking lotus scroll motif (chanzhi lian), framed by vertical combing lines at the neck and double concentric borders at the base.
The jar showcases densely webbed ge-type crackle glaze with a soft, greyish-celadon undertone—a textbook hallmark of Southern Chinese provincial export kilns (such as the Zhangzhou/Swatow tradition in Fujian).
Items like this were highly prized in Japan during the Edo and Meiji periods. Imported for use in the Japanese Tea Ceremony (Chanoyu), this jar was utilized as a Mizusashi (freshwater vessel). Because these export jars frequently arrived without ceramic lids, Japanese tea masters custom-fitted them with dark, lacquered wood lids, which accompanies this piece today.
- Origin: Southern China (Export ware for the Japanese/Southeast Asian Market)Period: 17th Century (Late Ming / Early Qing Dynasty)
- Materials: High-fired provincial porcelain/stoneware, underglaze cobalt blue pigment, dark lacquered wood lid.
- Motif: Continuous Interlocking Lotus Scroll
- Features: Natural aged crackle glaze, unglazed buff-colored foot rim with characteristic iron spots and kiln browning.
Condition Report (Please Read Carefully):
This is an authentic, 300+ year-old antique and exhibits honest signs of age and provincial manufacture:
- Structural: There is a visible, tight vertical hairline crack running down the upper shoulder and body of the jar (please reference the top-down photos).
- Base: The underside features natural, stable kiln cooling cracks (stress fractures) and grit inclusions from the original wood-fired kiln, guaranteeing its antique origin.
- Lid: The dark-lacquered wood lid is a later Japanese adaptation made specifically for tea use. It shows light surface wear consistent with age and handling. The piece is structurally stable and displays beautifully as a premier example of historic export porcelain.
