Large Globular Jar with Decoration of Auspicious Emblems and Chinese Characters Reading "Pok Su Kang Nyŏng" (Happiness, Longevity, Health, and Peace)
mid-19th century
Description
Rising from a short, circular foot, the body of this jar expands into a pleasantly spherical form and then constricts to a relatively tall, cylindrical neck. Four Chinese characters, which when pronounced in Korean read Pok (happiness), Su (longevity), Kang (health), and Nyŏng (peace), are set within circular medallions; auspicious emblems embellish the spaces between the medallions. Double-bowstring borderlines encircle the lip and foot, subtly demarcating the vessel's boundaries. The proportionally tall neck on this jar indicates that it was created in the nineteenth century.
Dimensions
H. 35.6 x Diam. 33.6 cm (14 x 13 1/4 in.)
Provenance
Private collection, Japan; through Bluett and Son, London (in the mid-1960s); to Ray Thompson Collection, London and Italy; through Christie's, New York (early 2000s); through Kang Collection, New York; to Harvard Art Museum.
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