Colors of Sky and Clouds: Chinese Blue-and-White Porcelain is organized by Phoenix Art Museum. It is made possible, in part, through the generosity of the GFWC Desert Jade Woman’s Club, Museum’s Circles of Support and Museum Members and features objects donated to the Phoenix Art Museum collection by Dr. and Mrs. Matthew L. Wong.
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
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.
IMAGE CREDIT
Unknown, Covered jar, Transitional period. porcelain with blue underglaze. Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Matthew L. Wong.
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.
IMAGE CREDIT
Unknown, Brushpot with narrative scene, 1625-1650. Porcelain with blue underglazing. Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Matthew L. Wong.
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