Chinese Wine Storage Vessel, On stand

A jar this size assumes that the party will be long and well attended.

This wine storage vessel, on stand, comes from China, 20th century, in glazed pottery. Big glazed jars like this were the working equipment of Chinese wine making and storage, sealed at the mouth to keep rice wine as it aged in a cool corner. The body swells to wide shoulders under a rolled rim. Its caramel brown glaze shines hard, shifting toward olive near the top and thinning to tan at the foot. A dark wood stand on four stout feet raises it. Thirty-nine inches high overall.

Today it holds nothing, and holds it very well.