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Asian Art Calendar of Events

Thursday, March 28, 2024


Exhibition Public - USA & Canada

Colors of Sky and Clouds: Chinese Blue-and-White Porcelain

Phoenix Art Museum
1625 North Central Ave.,
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Oct 01, 2021 To Nov 07, 2021


Detail: Colors of Sky and Clouds: Chinese Blue-and-White Porcelain showcases white, hard-bodied porcelain objects featuring cobalt-blue illustrations of flowers and gardens, natural landscapes, and narrative scenes from Chinese literature.

The development of Chinese ceramics reveals an unrivaled history of resources, technique and aesthetics. Between the 1st and 10th centuries, Chinese potters gradually perfected a white vitreous porcelain made from rich deposits of kaolin clay fired at high temperatures at kiln sites in southeastern China. By the 13th and 14th centuries, artists began to paint designs on smooth, white, clay body surfaces in shades of cobalt-blue pigment. From that point, imperial patronage and export markets led to the creation of many forms with diverse and refined floral, landscape, and narrative illustrations. In the 17th century, foreign influences and new motifs derived from folk art and popular literature made these wares appealing to the merchant and scholar classes.

From the 1960s to the 1980s, Phoenix Art Museum received many gifts of Chinese blue-and-white porcelain from Dr. and Mrs. Matthew L. Wong. These works served as the genesis of the Museum’s Asian art collection.

Colors of Sky and Clouds: Chinese Blue-and-White Porcelain features more than 10 of these white, hard-bodied porcelain objects enhanced with cobalt-blue illustrations. Featured works are presented in pairs and showcase motifs such as flowers and gardens, natural landscapes, and narrative scenes of demons, monsters, and dragons drawn from Chinese literature.

Phone No.: 602.257.1880
Site URL: https://phxart.org/exhibition/colors-of-sky-and-clouds-chinese-blue-and-white-porcelain

<em>Brushpot with narrative scene</em>
Brushpot with narrative scene
1625-1650
Porcelain with blue underglazing

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