Small wine pot or teapot with a lid
1662–1722
Medium
Porcelain painted in underglaze blue.
Dimensions
Height without lid: 2 1/4 in. (5.7 cm.)
Classification
Ceramics
Culture
Chinese
Department
Robert Lehman Collection
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
Accession Number
1975.1.1709
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate small wine pot or teapot lid, crafted in China during the Kangxi period (16621722) of the Qing dynasty, exemplifies pinnacle of imperial porcelain production at Jingdezhen kilns. Standing just 2¼ inches (5.7 cm) tall without its lid, this petite vessel was likely designed for personal or elite use, perhaps in scholarly tea ceremonies or wine tasting rituals that were central to refined Chinese social life. Made of fine porcelain painted in underglaze blue—a technique where cobalt pigment is applied to the unfired clay body before a transparent glaze is added and the piece is fir...
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...