China Unknown
Unknown: Vase in the Shape of a Cong

c. 1720
ceramic
14 x 4.5 x 4.5 in.
2015.93
Gift of Stephen and Sophie Mathonnet-VanderWell

This vase is a skeuomorph of a cong with a light green crackle glaze. For those unfamiliar with the term, a skeuomorph is an object that seeks to imitate the form of another object made from a different material. In this case, the porcelain vase is imitating jade. Carved jade cylinders with rectangular exteriors and cylindrical interiors, congs originated in Neolithic China during the Liangzhu period. First discovered in royal tombs, they became a popular Chinese form and were recalled and imitated throughout most of Chinese history. Look closely at the collection of miniature ceramics in the exhibit and you will notice another cong skeuomorph as well as others such as that of the pilgrim flask.

Gallery label text 2016
A Scholar’s Studio: Chinese Works from the Mathonnet Collection
October 28 – December 12, 2016
The students involved in curating this show come from two classes – Carleton Professor Kathleen Ryor’s Arts of China and St. Olaf Professor Karil Kucera’s Visual Culture in Modern China