Fahua ceramics share technical parallels with cloisonné enamels, as both media feature enclosures filled in with a colored glaze or enamel. Known as alkaline, the glazes used on fahua wares form a separate group, marked by a higher potassium-to-lead ratio. In this mixture, copper oxide creates the bright turquoise color that is also ubiquitous in cloisonné.
Artwork Details
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明中期 景德鎮窯法華蓮池紋瓶
Title:Bottle with lotuses
Period:Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
Date:late 15th century
Culture:China
Medium:Porcelain with raised slip and enamels (Jingdezhen fahua ware)
Dimensions:H. 14 1/2 in. (36.8 cm); Diam. 7 1/8 in. (18.1 cm)
Classification:Ceramics
Credit Line:Bequest of John D. Rockefeller Jr., 1960
Object Number:61.200.52
John D. Rockefeller Jr. American, New York (until d. 1960; bequeathed to MMA)
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Cultivated Landscapes: Reflections of Nature in Chinese Painting with Selections from the Collection of Marie-Hélène and Guy Weill," September 10, 2002–February 9, 2003.
New York. Asia Society. "A Passion for Asia: The Rockefeller Family Collects," February 23, 2006–September 3, 2006.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Arts of the Ming Dynasty: China's Age of Brilliance," January 23–September 13, 2009.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The Yuan Revolution: Art and Dynastic Change," August 21, 2010–January 9, 2011.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Streams and Mountains without End: Landscape Traditions of China," August 26, 2017–January 6, 2019.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Embracing Color: Enamel in Chinese Decorative Arts, 1300–1900," July 2, 2022–February 16, 2025.
Valenstein, Suzanne G. A Handbook of Chinese Ceramics. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1975, pl. 87.
Suzanne G. Valenstein. A Handbook of Chinese Ceramics. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1989, color pl. #26.
Asia Society. A Passion for Asia: The Rockefeller Legacy: A Publication in Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Asia Society. Exh. cat. New York: Asia Society in association with Hudson Hills Press, 2006, p. 193.
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