Bottle
Unknown Artist
18th century
Medium
Porcelain with stonegray slip under bluish-green crackled glaze; transparent green glaze all over
Dimensions
H. 6 9/16 in. (16.7 cm); Diam. 4 in. (10.2 cm)
Classification
Ceramics
Culture & Period
China · Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Edwin C. Vogel, 1966
Accession Number
66.206.13
Art Historical Context
This elegant porcelain bottle from 18th-century China, crafted during the Qing dynasty (4–1911), the era's masterful ceramic artistry. Standing at just over 6½ inches tall with a 4-inch diameter its compact form suggests it may have served as a snuff bottle, inkwell, or decorative vessel, blending utility with refined beauty. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Asian Department as a gift from Edwin C. in 1966, it captures the sophistication of imperial porcelain production, likely from kilns in Jingdezhen, the world's porcelain capital. The bottle's medium is a technical marvel: fine p...