Embroidered Ornament – Chinese Ginger Jar

Few decorative objects have stayed in fashion quite as long as the blue and white ginger jar. Originally used in China to store provisions and preserved spices, including ginger, these porcelain vessels reached their defining style during the Ming dynasty, when potters perfected the deep cobalt-blue designs still instantly recognisable today. As trade with China grew from the 16th century onwards, blue and white porcelain became hugely prized across Europe, with Britain gripped by what came to be called "Chinamania" in the 19th century, as collectors and artists such as James McNeill Whistler filled their homes with it.

Once a humble storage jar for salt, oil and ginger, it has long since become a design classic in its own right, equally at home on an antique mantelpiece or a modern bookshelf.

This embroidered ornament captures a touch of that timeless charm, a lovely addition to the tree each Christmas.

Size: 4 inches