Untitled

Unknown

first half of the 18th century · "Soft paste" porcelain with incised decoration under glaze (Jingdezhen ware) · Asian Art

In the eighteenth century, the kilns at Jingdezhen began to make porcelains of a different material. Known as huashi, or "slippery stone," this expensive material, often called soft paste, was used to make thin vessels that frequently were decorated with incised or raised designs under glaze. While the reasons for its introduction remain unclear, soft paste is easily carvable, and its use would have thus been akin to contemporaneous interests in the manipulation of other materials such as ivory and bamboo.

Artist

Unknown

Date

first half of the 18th century

Medium

"Soft paste" porcelain with incised decoration under glaze (Jingdezhen ware)

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Bequest of Benjamin Altman, 1913