清乾隆 銅胎掐絲琺瑯鸚鵡|One of a pair of parakeets

Unknown

mid-18th century · Cloisonné enamel · Asian Art

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.

Artist

Unknown

Date

mid-18th century

Medium

Cloisonné enamel

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Edward G. Kennedy, 1929