Glazed Magpie Pickling 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 pot is decorated with a fearsome dragon, representative of power, and a pair of magpies, a symbol of marriage.

In rendering the birds, the artist depicts them in a state of excited chatter with one bird seemingly raising an accusatory feather. Clearly demonstrating his keen understanding of the birds’ boisterous nature, the artist may also be offering a wry bit of commentary on the vagaries of marital bliss. Originally used to pickle eggs or vegetables, this container works well today planted with green foliage indoors or out.