Published:  16:33 Wednesday - December 14, 2011

December Issue of Apollo - one of the oldest art magazine in the world reported Birmingham Museum of Art (Alabama, USA) has purchased the bootle neck originating from Vietnam.

According to the museum, this is their best sale in 2011.

The jar, which is 17 cm high, was discovered in Bangkok in a private collection and is a rare example of Le Dynasty pottery, dating back to the 15th to 16th century. 

It was carved meticulously and made from the smooth grey-white clay found in the Red River Valley where Vietnamese potters produced amazingly light and thin-walled vessels.

The jar is completely intact

“We have had conservators look at it, and there’s no repair work or repainting needed. It hasn’t been touched,” said Donald Wood, chief curator and curator of the museum’s Asian art collection.

The jar will be the centerpiece of an exhibition titled “Dragons and Lotus Blossoms” to be held at the museum from January 22 to April 8 next year.

Birmingham Museum of Art began the process of buying Vietnamese ceramics works from 1970, and is one of three museum which owns biggest Vietnamese collection in the US.  This exhibition is the first event in the United States to explore the colorful history of Vietnamese ceramics.