In time for the 102nd Foundation Anniversary of Marinduque, the Marinduque Celadon Jar will be unveiled to the public on February 21, 2022.
The Marinduque Celadon Jar was acquired in 1965 by Alfredo Evangelista, then Assistant Director of the National Museum of the Philippines. This rare stoneware is dated to 1279 to 1368 Common Era, during the Yuan Dynasty in China. It features a translucent jade-like green glaze application throughout its body, decorated with four Chinese dragons in embossed relief – a symbol of imperial power, strength, and good fortune in East Asian culture.
The artifact’s form is characterized with an everted rim, short-waisted neck edged shoulder with four vertical lugs, broad body, narrow bottom, and flat foot. It measures 31.2 cm in height and 18.5 cm in maximum body width. The dragon motif suggests that the Marinduque Celadon Jar is not an average object but a unique marker of prestige, making it an important and rare acquisition of the National Museum.
The Marinduque Celadon Jar is one of the three (3) known existing celadon jars of its kind – the other two are part of the collections of the British Museum in London and of Dr. Arturo de Santos, a Filipino ceramic enthusiast in the 1960s.
In 2010, the Marinduque Celadon Jar was declared a National Cultural Treasure for its outstanding historical, cultural, artistic and/or scientific value which is significant and important to the country and nation.
© 2022 National Museum of the Philippines
