Whereas many [Moche decorated ceramics] were ultimately placed in burials or made especially for the dead, most were produced to be used by the living in everyday life.

Ceramic vessels nourished in both life and death: they held food and drink for daily life, but also offerings in dedicatory caches and burials, which range from the simplest graves to the richest royal tombs.

Join a Met curator for an exploration of French and Portuguese Palissy ware, named for the Renaissance master Bernard Palissy, whose ceramics were ornamented with reptiles, shells, and amphibians cast from life.

Senior Research Assistant Courtney A. Stewart takes a look at Islamic and Chinese ceramics in The Met collection and highlights key similarities in their style and production.

Having closely observed the locomotion of animals, [Palissy] transformed the slithering or coiling of snakes into motifs that invigorated his clay compositions.

Layah Ziaii-Bigdeli , an intern in the Department of Islamic Art, discusses the sherds of Chinese ceramics found among the 9th–10th-century fragments excavated at Nishapur, Iran.

Editorial Assistant Rachel High speaks with Denise Patry Leidy, Brooke Russell Astor Curator of Chinese Art, about her book How to Read Chinese Ceramics and the continued relevance of Chinese porcelain today.

This handsome book is at once a general survey of Chinese ceramics from the early Neolithic period to the present day and an essential reference volume for art historians and connoisseurs. Originally published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1975 as an introduction to its vast collection of Chinese ceramics, the book was highly praised by experts in the field. Over the last decade, however, thanks to accelerated archaeological activity in The People's Republic of China and important archaeological discoveries made elsewhere, substantial changes have been made in Chinese ceramic chronology and attributions. At the same time, analytic studies of Chinese ceramic technology have altered many basic concepts. This edition, written in the light of such enhanced knowledge, presents a far more detailed and comprehensive picture than could have been possible only a few years ago. A wealth of new information has been reported and integrated into the book, which begins over one thousand years earlier than the first edition. Almost half of the 335 objects illustrated are new to this edition; a 32-page section of color plates adds immeasurably to the usefulness of the book. This edition uses the Pinyin system of Chinese romanization; there is an appendix giving Pinyin/Wade-Giles equivalents, with the Chinese characters, as well as a chronology, maps, a glossary, selected readings, and an index. Invaluable for scholars will be the new technical information, references to relevant Chinese archaeological journals, and an appendix giving selective archaeological and other documentary comparisons to objects in the Museum's collection that are illustrated in the book.

Among the most revered and beloved artworks in China are ceramics—sculptures and vessels that have been utilized to embellish tombs, homes, and studies, to drink tea and wine, and to convey social and cultural meanings such as good wishes and religious beliefs. Since the eighth century, Chinese ceramics, particularly porcelain, have played an influential role around the world as trade introduced their beauty and surpassing craft to countless artists in Europe, America, and elsewhere. Spanning five millennia, the Metropolitan Museum’s collection of Chinese ceramics represents a great diversity of materials, shapes, and subjects. The remarkable selections presented in this volume, which include both familiar examples and unusual ones, will acquaint readers with the prodigious accomplishments of Chinese ceramicists from Neolithic times to the modern era. As with previous books in the How to Read series, How to Read Chinese Ceramics elucidates the works to encourage deeper understanding and appreciation of the meaning of individual pieces and the culture in which they were created. From exquisite jars, bowls, bottles, and dishes to the elegantly sculpted Chan Patriarch Bodhidharma and the gorgeous Vase with Flowers of the Four Seasons, How to Read Chinese Ceramics is a captivating introduction to one of the greatest artistic traditions in Asian culture.