Popularly known as Jizhou ware, the porcelain with incised decoration dates back to the southern song dynasty between 1127 and 1279 and the yuan dynasty from 1279 and 1368 in China. The Chinese made different decoration symbols on the porcelain ware such as animal and plant prints (China Highlights). Jizhou ware, therefore, depicted the creativeness of the artists at the time. The art museum in San Francisco has in its storage a box with lid, made from the Jizhou ware technique at the time. The box with lid has changed the perspective of the western culture to the porcelain that initially came from China (China Highlights). The box with cover under the thirteenth-century Jizhou ware, in San Francisco, is viewed as a decoration by the westerners with the possession of the objects being perceived as a symbol of value in the society (Gerritsen 74). Thus, the box resembling the one in the Art Museum of San Francisco has been mostly stored by the various individuals and organizations that have continued to view Jizhou ware from a decorative perspective.
Also housed by the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco is the whiteware. The Chinese developed the earliest forms of the white earthenware in the Tang dynasty between 618 and 906 AD (Michaelson and Portal 130). Both White earthenware and stoneware laid a foundation for the evolution of the porcelain in ancient china from its development in the eighth and ninth century. Whiteware spread to the other parts of the world, especially towards the west, where it was redesigned to come up with more products (Michaelson and Portal 130). From ancient times, whiteware introduced and developed the tea culture in the different societies across the west. The trend came up due to the availability of firmer materials to hold the tea (Frank 111). Vastly, white porcelain changed the kitchenware that was used towards the west. To this day, most of the materials in the kitchens across the western culture comprise of porcelain (Frank 111). Therefore, the white porcelain remains relevant to the culture of the west to this day.
The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco also houses the ewer which was developed in China under the Yuan dynasty between 1279 and 1368. Traditionally, the Chinese ewer was used as holding vessels for water and other drinkables such as wine and had a wide mouth (Art Institvte Chicago). Over time, the traditional ewer was taken to the western world where it has been remodified over the years to come up with the modern-day pitcher. Since its development in china, the ewer arrived in England in the early 17th century. In England, the conventional pitcher was remodeled by adding parts of iron, silver and gold (Art Institvte Chicago). The redesigned pitcher was used as a symbol in the pouring of wine during royal banquets and other celebrations for the socially elite in the country. Over time, the ewer has been viewed as a decorative piece as an essential part of antic collections found in the various shops across the western world, and multiple museums (Art Institvte Chicago). The integration of the art from ancient china in the world of the west has led to the difference in the uses of porcelain for different purposes, including decoration.