Small covered wine pot or teapot
1662–1722
Medium
Porcelain painted in underglaze blue.
Dimensions
Height with lid: 3 7/16 in. (8.7 cm.) to 3 1/2 in. (8.8 cm.)
Classification
Ceramics
Culture
Chinese
Department
Robert Lehman Collection
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
Accession Number
1975.1.1710
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate small covered wine pot or teapot, crafted in China during the Kangxi (1662–1722), exemplifies the pinnacle Qing dynasty porcelain artistry. Made from fine porcelain and painted in underglaze blue—a technique where cobalt pigment is applied to the unfired clay before a transparent glaze is added and the piece is fired at high temperatures—this vessel stands just 3½ inches tall with its lid. The subtle blue hues, often featuring floral motifs as suggested by its tags, create timeless, elegant designs that seem to float beneath the glossy surface. Produced likely at the imperial ki...
About the Artist
Chinese
The artist known simply as "Chinese" in museum records represents the vast tradition of anonymous or unattributed masters in Chinese art history, with 99 works preserved in our collection. These pieces exemplify the enduring legacy of guó huà, or traditional Chinese painting, one of the world's oldest continuous artistic practices. Early life is not well documented, as is common for many practitio...