- Vase
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Vase
- Place of origin:
Jingdezhen (made)
- Date:
1700-10 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Unknown
- Materials and Techniques:
Porcelain painted in underglaze blue
- Credit Line:
Bequeathed by Mrs A. Cameron
- Museum number:
C.15A-1909
- Gallery location:
Ceramics, Room 145, case 7
This miniature vase was produced at the kilns of Jingdezhen, in south-east China, during the early 18th century, when the fashion for Chinese porcelain was at its highest in Europe. Jingdezhen was at the time the most important ceramic centre in China, supplying both the domestic and export markets.
Miniature vases, produced in a great variety of shapes in China, were privately purchased by European merchants and became particularly popular between the end of the 17th century and the first half of the 18th century, when they were used as decorative items on wall brackets, in cabinets or around mirrors in the residences of aristocrats and wealthy people. One of the largest collection of Chinese porcelain known in Europe belonged to August the Strong of Saxony (d. 1733), who owned more than 21,000 pieces.
