Pillow

China

late 11th–early 12th century

Cizhou ware Stoneware with black and white slips and sgraffito decoration under transparent glaze

Minneapolis Institute of Art

A decorative ceramic pillow features a large black peony flower with leaves against a cream-colored background. The pillow has a dark rim and is supported by a hexagonal base. Leaf-shaped pillows were an innovation of the Cizhou kilns and those with sgraffito decoration on black slip over white slip like this one were popular from the late eleventh through the twelfth century. This handsome example displays a boldly incised peony spray symbolizing wealth, spring, and feminine beauty. The peony was a common motif during this period and one that archaeologists have shown was manufactured largely at northern kilns in the Guantai area, near the former Cizhou in southern Hebei Province. Cizhou ware developed entirely as a popular, inexpensive stoneware tradition for everyday use. The rough clay bodies were giv