Ceramic Ginger Jars and Temple Jars
Shop ceramic ginger jars from Mikolia, lidded temple jars in the chinoiserie tradition. Eight designs across three finishes, from 28cm to 42cm, with prices starting from £49.99.
A ginger jar is one of the few decorative objects that works equally well alone, in a group, or filled with flowers. The lid makes it a complete piece in its own right, which is why it has stayed in continuous use in interiors for three centuries.
What Is a Ginger Jar?
The shape originates in Chinese porcelain, where wide-bodied lidded jars were used to store spices and preserved ginger. European collectors imported them from the seventeenth century onward, and the form became a fixture of chinoiserie interiors long after anyone stored ginger in one.
A temple jar is the taller, more elongated version of the same idea, usually with a pointed or domed finial on the lid. Both terms are used interchangeably now, and the pieces in this collection cover both profiles.
Blue and White Ginger Jars
The classic combination and the one most people picture. These designs carry blue floral and butterfly detailing on a white ceramic body, finished with gold banding at the foot and a gold finial on the lid.
Blue and white ginger jars are the anchor of Hamptons, coastal and grandmillennial schemes, and they sit comfortably in traditional English interiors too. The palette works against almost any wall colour, which is part of why the look has lasted.
Black and Gold Ginger Jars
A more contemporary treatment, with gold detailing running vertically over a deep black glaze. These are considerably more dramatic than the blue and white designs and suit darker, more modern schemes where a traditional chinoiserie jar would look out of place.
Because the classic category is so dominated by blue and white, a black and gold ginger jar is a genuinely harder thing to find. They work particularly well on a light marble surface, where the contrast does the work, or in commercial interiors that need presence without pattern.
White and Gold Ginger Jars
The most detailed pieces in the collection. These have a textured gloss glaze with a ridged, basket-weave surface, finished with hand-applied gold detailing that catches the raised parts of the texture and leaves the recesses white.
Because the gold is applied by hand, the pattern falls slightly differently on every piece. The effect is warmer and less uniform than a printed metallic finish, and it reads as more expensive in daylight than either of the other two finishes.
Large Ginger Jars and Sizes
Sizes run 28cm, 31cm, 32cm, 36cm, 37cm, 38cm and 42cm. The 28cm and 31cm jars are shelf and console pieces, suited to open shelving, a bedside table or a bathroom windowsill.
From 36cm upward these become large ginger jars that need a surface of their own: a mantelpiece, a wide sideboard, or a hallway console. The 42cm design is the tallest in the collection and works best where there is height above it, such as beneath a mirror or a piece of wall art.
Styling Ginger Jars in Pairs and Groups
Ginger jars have always been styled symmetrically. A matching pair flanking a mirror or either end of a mantelpiece is the traditional arrangement and still the most reliable one.
Each design here is sold individually, so a pair means ordering two. An alternative that works just as well is a graduated group: three jars in the same finish at different heights, clustered rather than spaced. That reads as a collection rather than a symmetrical set, and suits a console table better than a mantelpiece.
Using a Ginger Jar as a Vase
The lids lift off and the openings are wide enough to take a proper bunch of stems, so these work as vases as well as display pieces. Lidded, they are sculptural objects; unlidded and filled, they become a substantial floral display.
Artificial flowers suit them particularly well, since the arrangement stays looking right permanently and the lid can go back on whenever you want the jar as an object again. Hydrangeas, peonies and blossom branches are the traditional pairing with a blue and white jar.
Where Ginger Jars Work
In the living room, a large ginger jar anchors a mantelpiece or sideboard. Group one with sculptures or figurines for a layered display, or set a pair either side of a mirror.
In the dining room, ginger jars sit well on a sideboard alongside porcelain tableware, and the blue and white designs echo traditional dinnerware patterns. In the kitchen, a smaller jar holds its own on open shelving. Hallways and entrances suit the taller pieces, where a console table needs weight.
Ginger Jars as a Gift
A ginger jar is a considered gift for a housewarming, wedding or milestone birthday, particularly for anyone whose home leans classic or Hamptons. It is recognisable, it needs no explaining, and it is not the kind of thing most people buy for themselves.
Pair one with artificial flowers so it arrives complete, or add candles and candle holders for a fuller set.
More Vase Shapes at Mikolia
For hand-applied floral detail, see floral vases and ceramic flower vases. For something fashion-led, handbag vases. For contemporary geometry, 3D printed vases, and for height in a corner, floor vases and planters.
Browse all vases and home accessories at Mikolia, with UK next day delivery.
