Vase with birds and flowers
Unknown Artist
19th century
Medium
Porcelain painted in polychrome enamels over black ground (Jingdezhen ware, famille noire)
Dimensions
H. 22 1/4 in. (56.5 cm)
Classification
Ceramics
Culture & Period
China · Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Benjamin Altman, 1913
Accession Number
14.40.185
Tags
Art Historical Context
This elegant porcelain vase, standing an impressive 22¼ inches tall, hails from China's renowned Jingdezhen kilns during the Qing dynasty (164–1911), specifically the 19th century. Adorned with vibrant birds and flowers painted in polychrome enamels a striking black ground—known as *famille noire*— exemplifies the technical mastery of imperial porcelain production. Jingdezhen, the epicenter of Chinese ceramics for centuries, produced wares like this that blended exquisite craftsmanship with symbolic motifs, where birds often represent joy and flowers evoke seasonal renewal and prosperity. The...