清康熙 景德鎮窯五彩四季花卉圖方瓶|Vase decorated with flowers of the four seasons
Unknown
early 18th century · Porcelain painted in overglaze polychrome enamels (Jingdezhen ware) · Asian Art
Seasonal references abound in Chinese art, and the four different scenes featuring flowers and birds painted here allude to the passing of time and changes in nature. For example, tree peonies and pheasants are a harbinger of spring, kingfishers over a lotus pond mark summer, chrysanthemums and hibiscus imply autumn, and magpies on a blooming prunus tree symbolize winter and offer a pun of happiness arriving in Chinese tradition.
- Artist
- Unknown
- Date
- early 18th century
- Medium
- Porcelain painted in overglaze polychrome enamels (Jingdezhen ware)
- Culture
- China
- Department
- Asian Art
- Credit line
- Bequest of Benjamin Altman, 1913
