On view
Art of the Islamic World
Kendi ewer,
late 16th century
Chinese
Ming dynasty, 1368–1644
2020-687
Information
Title
Kendi ewer
Dates
late 16th century
Medium
Porcelain with underglaze blue decoration
Dimensions
h. 19.4 × diam. 14.8 cm (7 5/8 × 5 13/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Constance Tang Fong in memory of K.M. and P.Y. Tang
Object Number
2020-687
Place Made
Asia, China
Description
Vessel with a long neck, a protruding spout, and no handle that was mainly used for drinking. This vessel type is known as a kendi (a Malay/Indonesian term) and was not made in China before the Song dynasty (960-1279). Kendi were later product exported to Southeast Asia where it was used in various ways, including for storing medicine, washing, and in sacred rituals. By the sixteenth century its export extended to as far as the Middle East. This sixteenth-century vessel, possibly made for export to Europe, is decorated with designs that were found on kraak porcelain, a Chinese export ware produced mainly in the late Ming dynasty.
Culture
Period
Materials
Techniques
Subject
–2018 Wen C. Fong (1930-2018) and Constance Tang Fong (Princeton, NJ).
2018–2020 Constance Tang Fong (Princeton, NJ), by gift to the Princeton University Art Museum, 2020.
