Colors of Sky and Clouds: Chinese Blue-and-White Porcelain

Exhibition Website

Oct 1 2020 - Nov 7 2021

Colors of Sky and Clouds: Chinese Blue-and-White Porcelain showcases white, hard-bodied porcelain objects featuring cobalt-blue illustrations of flowers and gardens, natural landscapes, and narrative scenes from Chinese literature.

The development of Chinese ceramics reveals an unrivaled history of resources, technique and aesthetics. Between the 1st and 10th centuries, Chinese potters gradually perfected a white vitreous porcelain made from rich deposits of kaolin clay fired at high temperatures at kiln sites in southeastern China. 

By the 13th and 14th centuries, artists began to paint designs on smooth, white, clay body surfaces in shades of cobalt-blue pigment. From that point, imperial patronage and export markets led to the creation of many forms with diverse and refined floral, landscape, and narrative illustrations. In the 17th century, foreign influences and new motifs derived from folk art and popular literature made these wares appealing to the merchant and scholar classes.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website


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