Salad Bowl
Unknown Artist
1785–90
Medium
Porcelain
Dimensions
H. 5 in. (12.7 cm); Diam. 10 3/8 in. (26.4 cm)
Classification
Salad bowl
Culture
Chinese, for American market
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of James T. Woodward, 1910
Accession Number
10.149.218
Tags
Art Historical Context
This elegant salad bowl, crafted in porcelain around 1785–90 by an unknown Chinese artist specifically for the American market, the height of Sino-American trade in luxury goods during the early federal period. Measuring 5 inches high and 10⅜ inches in diameter, generous form was ideal for serving fresh greens at affluent dinner tables, blending Eastern craftsmanship with Western tastes. Adorned with motifs of birds and a coat arms—likely a customized family crest—the bowl reflects the personalization common in export porcelain, where Chinese potters adapted their designs to suit European and ...