Cleveland Museum of Art

Jar with Flowers, Rocks and Pheasants

Date

1662–1722

Medium

enameled porcelain, with susancai (plain three-color) decoration

Culture

China, Qing dynasty (1644-1911), Kangxi mark and reign (1662-1722)

Department

Chinese Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

In the Qing dynasty, art reached a high standard of technical perfection despite a tendency for extravagance and exaggerated ornament. This jar with susancai (plain three-color) decoration uses shades of light green, purple, and yellow, but no red. The vase features a pair of pheasants looking at each other among flowering plants, such as peonies and magnolia. The porcelain painter used fine dark outlines in a more graphic style to delineate motifs, to texture rocks, and depict minute details such as holes in weathered leaves of plants.

The authoritative record is held by Cleveland Museum of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.