Leaf-shaped dish with poem
Unknown Artist
first half of the 17th century
Medium
Porcelain painted in underglaze cobalt blue and copper red (Jingdezhen ware)
Dimensions
L. 7 in. (17.8 cm)
Classification
Ceramics
Culture & Period
China · Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase by subscription, 1879
Accession Number
79.2.1304
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite leaf-shaped dish, crafted in the first half of the 17 century during the late Ming dynasty (1368–1644), hails from Jingdezhen, China's renowned porcelain capital. Produced at a time when imperial kilns reached their zenith, this piece exemplifies the era's technical mastery and aesthetic refinement. Its naturalistic leaf form—measuring 7 inches (17.8 cm) long—evokes the organic elegance prized in Chinese scholar-garden culture, blending artistry with nature's poetry. Painted in underglaze cobalt blue and the rarer copper red, the dish showcases advanced ceramic techniques. Coba...