Moonflask or Pilgrim's Flask (Bianhu)

A mark on the bottom of this vessel reveals that it was made during the reign of the Yongzheng emperor (r. 1723-1735) of the Qing dynasty. The Qing dynasty (1644- 1911) was founded by Manchus, a non-Chinese ethnic group from northeastern Asia. The Manchu Qing rulers were uneasy about their status in China and waged a vigorous campaign to promote themselves as protectors and patrons of traditional Chinese culture. As part of this campaign, the Qing court supported many areas of artistic production, including ceramics, which reached unparalleled heights of creative and technical excellence, particularly between the late seventeenth and early nineteenth centuries.

The form of this vessel is often referred to as a moonflask or a pilgrim flask. It derives from earlier metal and leather canteens that were used by the peoples of Central Asia and the Northern Steppes. This flask form first appeared in Chinese pottery during the Tang dynasty (618-907) and became firmly established as a standard ceramic shape during the Song dynasty (960-1279). The luminous green glaze on the flask belongs to the celadon family of glazes, which were first produced in southern China sometime around the ninth or tenth century. They were created by adding iron oxide to a standard glaze and firing it in a reduced-oxygen kiln. Depending on the relative amounts of iron oxide and oxygen present, the celadon glaze could produce a wide range of colors on the green-blue spectrum. By thus referring to both a traditional form and a traditional glaze, this flask supported the Qing government's efforts to identify itself with previous Chinese dynasties. The subtle decoration on the flask's surface further advanced the image of the Qing court as a place of great sensitivity and aesthetic refinement.

This flask was part of the bequest that came to Oberlin College in 1904 from Cleveland resident Charles F. Olney. An educator originally from upstate New York, Olney married well and formed an extensive art collection during the last quarter of the nineteenth century. In 1893, he opened the first public art museum in the city of Cleveland. But when the city declined to accept his collection as the basis for a civic museum, Olney bequeathed it to Oberlin College, where it inspired the founding of the AMAM. Most of the Asian artworks collected by Olney were mere curiosities; this flask, however, is an exception and ranks as one of the most important objects in the entire Olney bequest.