Cleveland Museum of Art

Bowl (wan) with Water Plants and Arabesques

Date

1506–21

Medium

porcelain

Culture

China, Jiangxi province, Jingdezhen kilns, Ming dynasty (1368-1644), Zhengde mark and reign (1506-21)

Department

Chinese Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Arabesques, an ornamental design of intertwined flowing lines inspired by Middle Eastern culture, appear on Chinese blue-and-white porcelain since the 1300s. The early Ming emperors, particularly the Zhengde emperor, promoted Islam and commissioned porcelain with Islamic calligraphy. Chinese potters integrated foreign motifs, shapes, and ideas in order to cater to changing tastes and new customers in an increasingly global world.

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