Herdboy Riding a Water Buffalo

late 17th–early 18th century

Not on view

This animated sculpture depicts a scene of peaceful life in China’s agricultural society. It is also an example of a remarkable innovation by craftsmen of the imperial workshops during the late seventeenth century: the application of enamel colors, originally used for metalwork, on porcelain, which significantly enlivened the pallet of ceramic decoration.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

清康熙　素三彩瓷牧童乘牛
Title: Herdboy Riding a Water Buffalo
Period: Qing dynasty (1644–1911), Kangxi period (1662–1722)
Date: late 17th–early 18th century
Culture: China
Medium: Porcelain with colored enamels on the biscuit (Jingdezhen ware)
Dimensions: H. 10 1/2 in. (26.7 cm); L. 10 in. (25.4 cm)
Classification: Ceramics
Credit Line: Gift of Charles Stewart Smith, 1893
Object Number: 93.3.292a, b
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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