Small covered wine pot or teapot

Art Historical Context

This delicate small covered wine pot or teapot crafted in China during the Kangxi reign of the Qing dynasty (166–1722), exemplifies era's mastery of porcelain production at Jingdezhen kilns. Standing just 7¼ inches tall, it features vibrant overglaze famille verte enamels—dominated by rich greens, alongside yellows, reds, and—enhanced with intricate gilding. The decorative motifs of butterflies and flowers common in Chinese art, likely evoke themes of transformation, beauty, and prosperity, adding poetic elegance to its functional form. Famille verte, meaning "green family," marked a high point in enamel-overglaze techniques, fired at lower temperatures after the initial glaze to allow for painterly details impossible in underglaze methods. This innovation enabled bold, naturalistic designs on high-fired white porcelain bodies, making such pieces prized exports to Europe and treasures for Chinese elites. Gilt accents heightened their opulence, reflecting the imperial court's patronage of the arts. Housed in the Robert Lehman Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art since 1975, this teapot or wine pot offers a window into 17th-century Sino-European exchange, where such ceramics fueled global fascination with Chinese luxury goods. Visitors can appreciate how its compact size suited intimate scholarly gatherings, blending utility with artistic splendor.

About the Artist

Chinese

The artist known simply as "Chinese" in museum records represents the vast tradition of anonymous or unattributed masters in Chinese art history, with 99 works preserved in our collection. These pieces exemplify the enduring legacy of guó huà, or traditional Chinese painting, one of the world's oldest continuous artistic practices. Early life is not well documented, as is common for many practitio...