Transitional Blue-and-White Square Bottle
Unknown Artist
1628–1722
Medium
Porcelain with underglaze cobalt blue decoration
Dimensions
h. 31.1 cm
Classification
Ceramic
Department
Chinese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Edward L. Whittemore Fund
Accession Number
2018.293
About this artwork
The shape of this flask derives from European gin bottles. Its decoration in brilliant shades of blue with fantastic animal motifs—such as a leopard, the mystical qilin, a horse, and another imaginary beast—is characteristic of porcelain of the transitional period between the Ming and Qing dynasties when potters lost imperial patronage and experimented to find new clients in China and abroad.