Magpie Egg Jar

Unlike ceramics decorated with underglazing, this monumental vessel was painted after it was fired. This technique enabled the artist to build up areas and experiment with texture, visible in the stamped pattern along the painted bands and in the embossing of the flowers along the neck. The large jar is decorated with a curious qilin-like creature, a rooster, a heron, and a chattering magpie. Originally used to pickle eggs, this container works well today planted with green foliage indoors or out.