Porcelain Canteen. China, 15th century. – Premodern Worlds: A History Through Objects

Display photo of the canteen. — Photo: The Smithsonian Institute

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Podcast by Geena Panzitta.

Porcelain canteen. China, Ming dynasty, early 15 th century. Porcelain with cobalt pigment under colorless glaze. 46.9 x 41.8 x 21.3 cm. Freer Gallery of Art, Charles Lang Freer Endowment (F1958.2).

ABOUT

This set of podcasts was the collective final project for “Premodern Worlds: A History Through Objects,” taught by Professor Sarah McNamer at Georgetown University in the fall of 2019.

In this seminar, we took a virtual tour around the globe in order to explore some of the rich and diverse cultures of the global Middle Ages (ca. 500-1500 C.E.). Taking inspiration from the British Museum’s History of the World in 100 Objects, written and produced by Neil MacGregor, we took weekly excursions to the various museums in Washington DC – including the National Gallery of Art, the National Museum of African Art, the Freer/Sackler Museum, and Dumbarton Oaks – to study a wide range of artifacts: textiles, manuscripts, drinking vessels, shields, sandals, icons, ink pots, devotional objects, lanterns, children’s toys, amulets.

As we examined these relics from the past, we sought to contextualize and understand them with the aid of selections from world literature, chronicles, travel narratives, and sacred texts.

Guest lecturers and curators generously shared their time and expertise with us. We wish to thank at Dumbarton Oaks, Kelsey Eldridge, Juan Antonio Murro, Jonathan Shea, and Elizabeth Dospěl Williams; at the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Brian Abrams and Massumeh Farhad; at the National Museum of African Art, Gus Casely-Hayford and Christine Mullen Kreamer; at The Textile Museum, Sumru Krody; and at Georgetown University, Brahmachari Sharan, Francisca Cho, Brandon Dotson, Kathryn de Luna, Joe Johnson, Jim Millward, Howard Spendelow, Michelle Wang, and Stefan Zimmers.

Enjoy these podcasts, and if you have any comments or questions, please drop us a note: medievalstudies@georgetown.edu. For more on Georgetown’s Global Medieval Studies program, see the Global Medieval Studies website.