Bencharong Ware Spitton with Buddhist dieties Thapanom and Norasingh, and Chinese fire patterns / Artist Unknown, China, Bencharong ware
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About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 2005/1.464
- Title
- Bencharong Ware Spitton with Buddhist dieties Thapanom and Norasingh, and Chinese fire patterns
- Artist Nationality
- Chinese
- Medium and Support
- porcelain with overglaze enamel painting
- Object Creation Date
- early 19th century
- Object Creation Place
- Asia (continent)
- China (nation)
- Jiangxi (province)
- Jingdezhen
- Creation Place 1
- Asia (continent)
- Creation Place 2
- China (nation)
- Creation Place 3
- Jiangxi (province)
- Creation Place 4
- Jingdezhen
- Style/Group/Movement
- Bencharong ware
- Dimensions
- 16.5 cm x 48 cm x 48 cm (6 1/2 in. x 18 7/8 in. x 18 7/8 in.)
- Century
- 19th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Ceramic
- Primary Object Type
- jar
- Secondary Object Classification
- Decorative Arts
- Physical Description
- Bencharong ware spittoon made in a private kiln in Jingdezhen, China, for Thai market. Probably ordered from Thai royalty, under the reign of Rama II (r. 1809-1824). It is the porcelain ware enameled with multiple colors, in the style called “five colors” (“bencharong” refers to five colors in Sanskrit). It has a large mouth and bulbous shape, with design of minor Buddhist deities Thepanom and Norasingh, and Chinese fire patterns.
- Subject Matter
- Spittoons were used by chewers of betel nut chewing, a common custom in Thai and other Southeast Asian countries. The spittoon shape is considered Thai, since they were probably ordered by the Thai and were rarely made for use in China. This spittoon has the design of Thepanom and Norasingh, minor Buddhist deities popular in Thai since around late 17th and early 18th century. Thepanom, usually in praying posture, are celestial beings who live in one of the six lower heavens of Buddhist cosmology. Norasingh, a type of Thepanom associated with the Himaphan forest, a mythical woods located in the Himalayan mountains below the heavens of the gods. A Norasingh has a human head, torso, and arms ornamented in the same fashion as the Thepanom; the hindquarters of a lion embellished with a flame; a flame-tipped tail and the hoofs of a deer. The Norasingh may be a Thai adaptation of the Indian Narasingh, who has a man’s body and a lion’s head and is one of the reincarnations of the god Vishnu. Norasinghs are used only on royal wares and probably symbolize the king’s divinity. On Bencherong ware, Norasingh are shown with one hand laid across the other, possibly a prayer attitude, and with red halos.
- Secondary Keywords
- asian
- associated concepts
- chinese
- chinese ceramics styles
- chinese styles
- chinese styles and periods
- containers
- containers by form
- containers by function or context
- containers for personal use
- containers for smoking and tobacco use
- east asian
- objects we use
- people and culture
- religions
- religions and religious concepts
- southeast asian
- styles and periods
- styles and periods by region
- thai
- thai pottery styles
- vessels
- visual works
- visual works by medium or technique
- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- Image Size
- 3084 x 2468
- File Size
- 1013 KB
- Record
- 2005/1.464
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2005-sl-1.464/2005_1.464.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
Portfolios
- In public portfolios
IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:2005-SL-1.464:2005_1.464.JPG
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"Bencharong Ware Spitton with Buddhist dieties Thapanom and Norasingh, and Chinese fire patterns; Artist Unknown, China, Bencharong ware." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2005-sl-1.464/2005_1.464.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 23, 2024.
