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Bodhidharma in meditation

17th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 205
Chinese white porcelain reached another summit during the seventeenth century in Dehua, a hilly region in the southeast coastal province of Fujian. The porcelain from the Dehua kilns is characterized by a thick, lustrous, clear glaze over an ivory-white paste body. Depicting the monk credited with founding the Chan (Zen in Japanese) sect of Buddhism, this sculpture perfectly illustrates these characteristic features of Dehua ware.

Widely exported to Europe in the seventeenth and eighteenth century, Dehua white porcelain is generally referred to by French term blanc de chine, or “China white,” in Western writing.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 明晚期 德化窯白瓷達摩坐像
  • Title: Bodhidharma in meditation
  • Period: Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
  • Date: 17th century
  • Culture: China
  • Medium: White porcelain with transparent glaze (Dehua ware)
  • Dimensions: H. 11 3/4 in. (29.8 cm); W. 7 1/2 (19 cm); D. 5 1/2 in. (14 cm)
  • Classification: Ceramics
  • Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Winthrop W. Aldrich, Mrs. Arnold Whitridge, and Mrs. Sheldon Whitehouse, 1963
  • Object Number: 63.176
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

Audio

Cover Image for 7436. Chan Patriarch Bodhidharma

7436. Chan Patriarch Bodhidharma

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