Porcelain jars painted with cobalt-blue dragons were popular from the seventeenth through the nineteenth century. Many were used as flower vases in official court ceremonies. Originally associated with water, dragons were also imperial emblems throughout East Asia. The two four-clawed dragons chasing flaming jewels on this piece embody the dynamic strength of the mythical beast. At the same time, dragons are seen as auspicious, welcoming creatures; the pair seen here, with their amusing faces, reflects the notion that they are not always to be feared.
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Artwork Details
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백자 청화 용 무늬 항아리 조선 白磁靑畫龍文壺 朝鮮
Title:Dragon jar
Period:Joseon dynasty (1392–1910)
Date:second half 18th century
Culture:Korea
Medium:Porcelain with underglaze cobalt-blue design
Dimensions:H. 17 1/4 in. (43.8 cm); Diam. 13 in. (33 cm); Diam. of rim 6 1/4 in. (15.9 cm); Diam. of base 6 3/4 in. (17.1 cm)
Classification:Ceramics
Credit Line:Purchase, 2009 Benefit Fund, 2010
Accession Number:2010.368
Private collection , Japan (1980s–2010; sale, Christie's New York, September 15, lot 741; to MMA); [ Christie's, New York , Japanese & Korean Art Including Arts of the Meiji Period, September 15, 2010, lot 741 to MMA]
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Representation/Abstraction in Korean Art," November 23, 2010–March 20, 2011.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Patchwork Textiles Across Cultures," August 24–December 5, 2011.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Art of Korea: Buddhism and Buddhist Art," December 9, 2011–June 3, 2012.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Korean Art," June 8–November 11, 2012.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Flora and Fauna in Korean Art," June 15, 2013–June 1, 2014.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The Still Life in Korean Art," June 7, 2014–February 1, 2015.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Korea: 100 Years of Collecting at the Met," February 7, 2015–March 27, 2016.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Expressions of Nature in Korean Art," April 2–September 18, 2016.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Splendors of Korean Art," October 1, 2016–October 22, 2017.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Essential Korea," June 7, 2018–November 14, 2021.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Shell and Resin: Korean Mother-of-Pearl and Lacquer," December 13, 2021–July 5, 2022.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Lineages: Korean Art at The Met," November 6, 2023–October 20, 2024.
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The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world.
