Ding Ware Pillow in the Shape of a Child
Unknown, Ding kilns · Twelfth century, Northern Song dynasty
A chubby boy lies on his stomach on a couch, his head resting on his crossed arms, his legs crossed behind him, and his back forms the curved surface of a pillow. He wears a long robe with a pattern of flowers incised into the glaze, a jacket, and a pair of soft shoes, and his hair is tied in two little tufts. His face is round and smiling. The whole figure is glazed a warm ivory white and is just over thirty centimetres long. It was made to be slept on, or at least to be seen on a bed, and it has been one of the most loved pieces of Song porcelain for centuries.
Ding ware was made at kilns in Hebei in northern China and was the finest white porcelain of the Song dynasty, thin, hard and glazed a creamy ivory rather than the cold blue white of later pieces. Look at the fine carving of the robe pattern, the cushion with its incised flowers, and the tears of glaze that ran and pooled during firing, which collectors of the time praised as tear stains. Turn your attention to the child's expression, the fat hands and the way the shoes point upward: the piece is both a functional object and a portrait of a well fed, contented boy, exactly the kind of son every family hoped for.
Porcelain pillows were used in summer because they stayed cool, and they were given as wedding gifts with the wish for children. Two nearly identical child pillows exist, one in Beijing and this one in Taipei, suggesting they were made from the same mould for the court. The Qianlong Emperor had poems inscribed on the base of this one. It is displayed among the Song ceramics on the second floor and is a favourite subject for the museum's shop.
Did You Know? The museum owns two nearly identical child pillows, and Beijing has a third, all apparently from the same mould.
Unlock the Full Guide
Read every room and listen to every work in all museums with premium.