Small vase

Art Historical Context

This delicate small vase, standing just 13.5 cm tall, exemplifies the refined artistry of late 18th-century Chinese porcelain from the Qing. Crafted in the renowned Jingdezhen kilns—China's porcelain capital—and painted in underglaze blue it features floral motifs that bloom vividly against a pristine white body. The underglaze technique, where pigment is applied to the unfired clay before a transparent glaze is added and the piece is fired at high temperatures, ensures the blue designs are embedded deeply, resisting wear and retaining their luster over centuries. Blue-and-white porcelain like this reached its zenith during the Qing era, blending imperial elegance with export appeal to European and global markets. These vases were prized for their balance of simplicity and sophistication, often symbolizing prosperity and harmony through floral imagery—lotus for purity, peonies for wealth. Though modest in size, this example reflects the era's mastery of scale, perfect for intimate scholarly displays or as a collector's gem. Now housed in the Robert Lehman Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art (acquired 1975), it invites visitors to appreciate the timeless allure of Chinese ceramics, bridging East-West aesthetics and enduring craftsmanship.

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...