This small, ovoid porcelain jar has a short neck and a wide mouth. The body is divided into four panels, each showing a deer in different positions admist thick foliage. The jar is painted in an blackish, blue underglaze beneath a white, crackled, opaque glaze.Zhangzhou wares such as this were commonly known as ‘Swatow ware’ due to the fact that the ware was shipped out from the port of Shantou (Swatow). These wares were mainly made for export to Japan and Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia. Chinese ceramics were highly prized in these places and were used extensively by the nobility and the elite as status symbols. They were also exported to West Asia and Europe.
