Moon-Shaped Bottle

China

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 200

In the eighteenth century, the kilns at Jingdezhen began using another material for the production of porcelains. Known as huashi, or “slippery stone,” this expensive material, often called “soft paste,” was used to make thin vessels that were frequently decorated with incised or raised designs. It remains unclear why this new material was introduced. It is worth noting, however, that it is easily carved and provides a parallel to the interest in the manipulation of surfaces found in other media, such as ivory and bamboo, at the time.

Moon-Shaped Bottle, Soft-paste porcelain with incised decoration under ivory glaze (Jingdezhen ware), China

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.