The Ginger Jar

This antique 19th century ginger jar was originally made in the Chinese Guangdong province, and was used to store food supplies like salt, herbs, oil... more

by James Temple

Title

The Ginger Jar

Artist

James Temple

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

This antique 19th century ginger jar was originally made in the Chinese Guangdong province, and was used to store food supplies like salt, herbs, oil and ginger (rare spices at that time). Hexagonal in form, with 6 floral panels; the Shiwan lead green glaze ranged from forest green to light teal.

What I find most interesting is that these ‘1-pound’ terra cotta jars were also used by migrant Chinese workers as the working-man's lunchbox while building the Canadian Pacific Railway and working the gold fields in British Columbia during the 1880s.

I picked this beautiful jar up at a rummage sale for $3 here on the Hawaiian island of Moloka'i. Most of the first Chinese immigrants coming to Hawaii arrived in the mid-to-late 19th century, when 46,000 people immigrated to the islands to work as laborers for sugarcane plantations.

For ginger recipes and other tropical recipes, check out my food blog at tastinghawaii.com

Uploaded

December 20th, 2017