Box and Cover, China, Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, 1506 – 1521, Slab-built porcelain with cobalt-blue paint and glaze AKM806

Box and Cover, China, Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, 1506 – 1521, Slab-built porcelain with cobalt-blue paint and glaze AKM806

The rectangular form of this porcelain box to hold writing tools, with a stepped base and gently curved lid adorned with roundels containing stylized Arabic inscriptions, suggests that the scribes who used it served the Muslim bureaucrats or merchants whose settlements lined the coast of China, facilitating trade along the Silk Roads. The Jiajing mark identifies its Chinese origin, while the illegibility of the inscriptions suggests that the artisan was not trained in Arabic calligraphy.

Aga Khan Museum

1506-1521

Photographer Credit: Courtesy of the Aga Khan Museum

Aga Khan Museum

Dimensions: H. 9.1 cm × W. 21.4 cm × D. 12.6 cm

Materials: Slab-built porcelain with cobalt-blue paint and glaze

AKM806

China, Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province