Chinese Export Porcelain

Items

• Jar with the emblem of the Order of Saint Augustine
  The primary motif on this jar—a double-headed eagle clutching a heart pierced with arrows—served as the emblem of the Catholic Order of Saint Augustine. In the sixteenth century, Augustinian friars established monasteries in Mexico, the Philippines, and Macau (in Southern China); the jar may have been produced for missionaries in one of these locations. While the jar probably served a functional purpose, its white porcelain body and cobalt-blue decoration would have appeared luxurious to friars accustomed to humble vessels.