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One of a pair of parakeets

mid-18th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 220
During the Qianlong period, artisans working with cloisonné enamels expanded their repertoire to create three-dimensional representations of birds and other animals, depictions that have a long history in Chinese bronze casting. These parakeets could have been loosely modeled on prints of bronze antiquities, or inspired by the famous five-colored parakeet painted by Song-dynasty emperor Huizong (r. 1100–1126) as an auspicious omen. The polychrome possibilities of cloisonné enamels lent themselves particularly well to this colorful subject.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 清乾隆 銅胎掐絲琺瑯鸚鵡
  • Title: One of a pair of parakeets
  • Period: Qing dynasty (1644–1911), Qianlong period (1736–95)
  • Date: mid-18th century
  • Culture: China
  • Medium: Cloisonné enamel
  • Dimensions: H. 8 7/8 in. (22. 5 cm); W. 6 1/2 in. (16.5 cm); D. 4 5/8 in. (11.7 cm)
  • Classification: Cloisonné
  • Credit Line: Gift of Edward G. Kennedy, 1929
  • Object Number: 29.110.43
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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