Cleveland Museum of Art

Lobed vase with underglaze cobalt blue decoration

Date

1661–1722

Medium

Porcelain with underglaze cobalt blue decoration

Culture

China, Jiangxi province, Jingdezhen kilns, Qing dynasty (1644-1911), Kangxi reign (1661-1722)

Department

Chinese Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Underglaze blue-and-white designs reached their highest painterly quality during the reign of the Kangxi emperor (1662–1722). Porcelain decorators achieved a level of artistic and technical sophistication that rivaled that of professional painters. Blue-and-white porcelains in brilliant cobalt blue catered to the taste of the educated class, the court, and foreign markets. Notice the blue-and-white porcelains in Pierre Bonnard’s painting Fruit and Fruit Dishes ( CMA 2020.100 ); such ceramics on a French dining table would have been inspired by Chinese porcelains of this type. The underside shows the mark of a feather, done in blue underglaze.

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