Untitled

Unknown

late 17th–early 18th century · Porcelain painted with cobalt blue under a transparent glaze (Jingdezhen ware) · Asian Art

Men were traded for vases in a Europe obsessed with porcelain and power. Vessels this large were rarely made for the domestic market during the Qing dynasty (1644–1911), but they appeared in the collection of the ruler Augustus II the Strong. In 1717 he exchanged a regiment of elite soldiers (dragoons) with the Prussian king for 151 pieces of porcelain. The sixteen monumental vessels Augustus acquired, much like this one, are now known as “dragoon vases.”

Artist

Unknown

Date

late 17th–early 18th century

Medium

Porcelain painted with cobalt blue under a transparent glaze (Jingdezhen ware)

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Bequest of Mary Clark Thompson, 1923