Earthly Delights: 6,000 Years of Asian Ceramics
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Tall stand, Korea, Three Kingdoms period, Kaya, 5th century. Stoneware with incised, applied, and openwork decoration. Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Partial gift of Maria C. Henderson and partial purchase through a fund established by Ernest B. and Helen Pratt Dane for the purchase of Asian art, 1991.501.
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Flower Vase in the Form of an Archaic Bronze 'Zun' Wine Vessel with Dragon-and-Wave Decor
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Covered ovoid jar on attached base
Oblong ovoid jar with cover and attached stand; the jar with small mouth opening and attached to a foliate base supported on a short footring; the cover resembling a broad-rimmed hat with finial; white earthenware with variegated iron-brown and copper-green lead-fluxed glazes over incised, molded, and applique elements.
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Broad-Shouldered Jar with Tall Neck and Dragon-and-Flaming-Jewel Decoration
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Low-Pedestal Storage Jar with Striding-Horse and Openwork Decoration
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Flat Dish with Everted Lip and Decoration of Carp, Flowering Branches, and Fruiting Grapevines
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Censer in the Form of an Archaic Bronze 'Li Ding' Tripod Vessel
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Globular Bottle with Long, Cylindrical Neck and Coral-Red Glaze
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Tall Vase with Long, Lightly Flaring Neck and "Sang de Beouf" Glaze
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Globular Bottle with Long, Slender Neck and Decoration of Dragons and Bats amid Clouds
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Large, Broad-Shouldered Jar with Decoration of Fish and Aquatic Plants
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Flower Vase in the Form of an Archaic Bronze 'Zun' Vessel with Flanges
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Pillow in the Form of Recumbent, Addorsed Lions Supporting a Headrest with Bird-and-Flower Décor
The headrest with wide concave top carved in low relief with a pair of songbirds perched on a leafy camellia spray reserved on a punched ground, all within a wide ruyi-shaped border and covered with an emerald-green glaze; the base sculpted in the form of two recumbent Buddhist lions shown with their heads emerging at either end to face the observer with bold menacing expressions, their jaws clenched on trailing ribbons, the female identified by her slightly smaller head and by the small cub shown in front playing with a brocade ball; the lions covered with green glaze and their backs conjoined to form the back of the pillow, their differently styled manes carved in relief on the back and glazed amber yellow, their eyes picked out in black and their teeth and claws glazed white; the cub splashed with amber and green and the brocade ball in white, the glazes all applied over a layer of white slip and unusually well controlled, the flat base left unglazed showing the smooth buff earthenware body, the nostrils of the lions pierced through to serve as firing holes.
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Globular ewer with dragon form handle
Ewer with globular body, flared pedestal base, slender neck, trefoil mouth, and stylized dragon-form handle attached from mouth to shoulder; white stoneware with ivory hued glaze. From northern China, probably from Hebei or Henan province.
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Cup with wide, rimless mouth and sides tapering inward to a small, slightly splayed circular foot; white porcelain with transparent glaze tinged with pale celadon green that stops short of the foot; base unglazed and marked with the ideograph 波 (bo) brush-written in red ink on the base after firing. From northern China; Hebei or Henan province. Part of a set comprising five cups and a circular tray (2006.170.1-6).
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Jar with lotus petal decor (lianhua zun)
Elaborately decorated jar with trumpet-shaped mouth, cylindrical neck, ovoid body, and six loop handles at the juncture of the neck and shoulders; thick lotus-petal and five-leaf-palmette appliques encircle the shoulders, carved lotus petals with projecting tips and incised lotus petals decorate the lower portion of the body down to the foot; molded appliques of demon figures and flying apsarases encircle the neck; light gray stoneware with bluish-green celadon glaze over molded and applique elements. Place of manufacture uncertain, probably northern China. Jars of this shape with ornate lotus-petal decoration are known as lianhua zun, or “lotus flower wine jars.” Archaeologically excavated lianhua zun with celadon glazes have emerged from aristocratic tombs in both northern and southern China, but they are generally believed to be products of northern China.
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Circular tray with three ring-form feet
Large circular tray with short, gently rounded sides and three ring-form feet attached to the base at equidistant intervals; white porcelain with transparent glaze tinged with pale celadon green; center of tray base unglazed. From northern China; Hebei or Henan province. Part of a set comprising five cups and a circular tray (2006.170.1-6).
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High-shouldered 'Guan'-Shaped jar with Floral Sprays, Vine Scrolls, and Petal Motifs
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"Meiping"-Type Bottle with Decoration of Antiquities and Auspicious Emblems
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Kiln Waster: Three Joined Small Bottles, Each Bottle with Angled Shoulders and Long Neck
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Bowl with Decoration of Two Dragons, Each Pursuing a Flaming Jewel
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Small Globular Bottle with Long, Slender Neck and Crackled Apple-Green Glaze
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Moon Flask with Decoration of the Eight Buddhist Treasures (Babao) within Stylized Lotus Petals
A Chinese blue-and-white porcelain moon flask of the Qianlong period (1736-95) in Ming style; of circular form with tall neck and double scroll handles, the front and back with a central boss bearing a stylized floral motif, surrounded by eight stylized lotus-petal cartouches bearing the eight Buddhist emblems, all within a key-fret border; the sides with a band of scrolling lotuses; seal mark in underglaze blue; carved wood stand.
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Tall cylindrical vase from an ornamental set originally comprising two "beaker vases" (such as the present one) and three covered baluster jars, each piece ornately molded with a curling vine bearing flowers and fruit, the foot of each vessel with bands of stylized lotus-petals, the necks of the "beakers" with ru-yi sceptre motifs, and the necks of the jars with rising banana-leaf decor below a lei-wen border; the domed jar covers each with everted lip and decorated with scrolling leaf and crackled-ice patterns, and knobs in the forms of Chinese lions; the base of the covered jars bear four-character marks raised in relief.
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Large jar with flared rim, cylindrical neck, sloped shoulders, ovoid body, and two loop handles at the shoulders; coarse buff earthenware with geometric decoration painted in black slip and select areas embellished with red slip. Xindian culture. From the upper Yellow River valley region; Gansu, Qinghai, or Ningxia province. Note: A sample taken from the base of this vessel was thermoluminescence (TL) tested at Oxford Authentication Ltd. in December 2000 and determined to be consistent with the suggested period of manufacture.
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Mountain-form censer (boshanlu) with tortoise-form base
Incense burner with conical lid in the form of a forested mountain, hemispherical bowl raised on a short stem, and base in the form of a tortoise with head turned back toward the stem; the cover pierced with small circular openings and molded decoration of human figures and mythical animals, including the legendary hare with mortar and pestle; the stem decorated with molded images of foreigners; red earthenware with lead-fluxed, emerald-green glaze on the cover and lead-fluxed, caramel-brown glaze on receptacle and base, the underside and interior of receptacle unglazed.
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Covered spherical jar with flat, slightly recessed base; shoulders slope inward to a wide, rimless mouth; slightly domed lid with crimped “piecrust” ridge at midpoint and knob in the form of a lotus bud; stamped triangles and dotted circles encircle the shoulders, incised floral scrolls encircle the body between incised horizontal lines; incised lotus petal decoration on top of lid, radiates outward from the knob; light gray stoneware with dark olive-green celadon glaze covers jar’s interior and exterior but stops above the foot; several drips of glaze stretch down toward the foot; kiln grit adheres to unglazed base. Place of manufacture uncertain, probably northern China.
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Covered ovoid jar with short, flared neck, the cover with small lotus-bud shaped knob; off-white stoneware with clear glaze over white slip ground. From northern China, probably from Hebei or Henan province.
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Cup with wide, rimless mouth and sides tapering inward to a small, slightly splayed circular foot; white porcelain with transparent glaze tinged with pale celadon green that stops short of the foot; base unglazed and marked with the ideograph 波 (bo) brush-written in red ink on the base after firing. From northern China; Hebei or Henan province. Part of a set comprising five cups and a circular tray (2006.170.1-6).
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Compressed spherical vessel surmounted by a tapered cylindrical neck that curves downward at the top, terminating into a stylized head of a goose; a circular aperture appears at the highest point behind the goose head; splayed footring encircles a countersunk base; light gray earthenware with minute traces of orange, black, and white cold-painted pigments. The form is based on a bronze vessel prototype. Such vessels gained currency by the Qin dynasty (late 3rd century BCE) and persisted into the Han dynasty. Note: A sample taken from the footring of this vessel was thermoluminescence (TL) tested at Oxford Authentication Ltd. in May 1999 and determined to be consistent with the suggested period of manufacture.
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Large circular dish with sides curving inward to a short footring; molded decoration in relief of flowers, leaves, and bees on the interior; pinkish buff earthenware coated with a white slip before the application of iron-brown and copper-green lead-fluxed glazes on selected areas, the exterior with a translucent pale green lead-fluxed glaze stopping short of the footring.
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Ovoid jar with short neck, broad rounded shoulders, sides tapering inward to a small, flat base, and two strap lug handles positioned bilaterally below the shoulder; buff earthenware with geometric decoration painted in black and burgundy slips; decoration around the shoulders includes four large round cartouches containing rings of dotted circles surrounding a smaller circle of crosshatching. Majiayao culture, Machang type. From the upper Yellow River valley region; Gansu, Qinghai, or Ningxia province.
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Large Bowl-Type Pedestal Stand with Abstract and Openwork Decoration
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Bronze-Form Vase with Compressed Globular Body, Long, Lightly Flaring Neck, and Mirror Black Glaze
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Vase with Flaring Mouth (Guanyin ping) and Black Glaze with Traces of Gold Decoration
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Ceremonial Stand with Snake, Abstract, and Openwork Decoration
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Globular vessel with flared lip, long cylindrical neck, sloping shoulders, broad midsection, and lower body tapering inward to a flat base; buff earthenware lightly burnished and decorated on the exterior with abstract designs painted in black slip; painted designs on body and neck include three large lozenge shaped medallions enclosing a fishnet pattern on the body, each surrounded by curvilinear triangles, arcs, lines, and dotted circles. From the upper Yellow River valley region, Gansu or Qinghai province. Note: A sample taken from the base of this vessel was thermoluminescence (TL) tested at Oxford Authentication Ltd. in October 2001 and determined to be consistent with the suggested period of manufacture.
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Tiger-shaped chamber pot (huzi)
Handled chamber pot in the form of an open-mouthed, crouched feline, with cylindrical opening at the mouth, arched handle attached from the top of the animal’s head to its rump, and molded decoration on the body modeled after Sassanian metalwork, including five-point palmettes and beading; buff earthenware with pale yellowish-green lead-fluxed glaze over molded and carved decoration; base unglazed. Place of manufacture uncertain, probably northern China. One of a set of four burial vessels (2006.170.255-258).
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Chicken headed ewer with descending lotus-petal decor
Ewer with rounded shoulders, sides tapering gently inward and then straight down to a flat base; long, waisted cylindrical neck topped with dish-like mouth; short spout in the form of a chicken’s head with small tubular opening in its beak; curved handle attached to shoulder and dished mouth, placed opposite from the chicken-head spout; two squared lugs on the shoulders positioned bilaterally to the left and right of the spout; incised decoration of on the body of lotus petals pointing downward toward the foot; light gray stoneware with olive green glaze over incised decoration; unglazed base. Place of manufacture uncertain, probably southern China.
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Cup with wide, rimless mouth and sides tapering inward to a small, slightly splayed circular foot; white porcelain with transparent glaze tinged with pale celadon green that stops short of the foot; base unglazed and marked with the ideograph 波 (bo) brush-written in red ink on the base after firing. From northern China; Hebei or Henan province. Part of a set comprising five cups and a circular tray (2006.170.1-6).
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Covered jar (hu) with pictorial decoration
Covered jar with slightly flared mouth, cylindrical neck, broad, rounded shoulders, wide body, sides tapering slightly inward to a flat circular base, and dome-shaped cover; light gray earthenware with decoration cold-painted in unfired off-white, red, dark red, purple and black pigments on a white ground, the container with pictorial designs of two equestrian hunters bearing bows and arrows pursuing a white tiger painted in white, the lid with geometric decor. Note: A sample taken from the base of this vessel was thermoluminescence (TL) tested at Oxford Authentication Ltd. in April 2000 and determined to be consistent with the suggested period of manufacture.
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'Meiping' Vase with Scrolling Lotus Flower and Stylized Lotus Petal Decor
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'Gu' Ritual Wine Vessel with 'Taotie' and Stylized Dragon Decor
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Kiln Waster: Jian-Ware Tea Bowl Fused to the Interior of a Saggar
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High-Shouldered Vase with Lightly Flaring Lip and Coral-Red Glaze
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Tall cylindrical vase from an ornamental set originally comprising two "beaker vases" (such as the present one) and three covered baluster jars, each piece ornately molded with a curling vine bearing flowers and fruit, the foot of each vessel with bands of stylized lotus-petals, the necks of the "beakers" with ru-yi sceptre motifs, and the necks of the jars with rising banana-leaf decor below a lei-wen border; the domed jar covers each with everted lip and decorated with scrolling leaf and crackled-ice patterns, and knobs in the forms of Chinese lions; the base of the covered jars bear four-character marks raised in relief.
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Large, Broad-Shouldered Jar with Decoration of Two Striding Dragons, Each Pursuing a Flaming Jewel
Large, broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted jars of this type were popular in Korea in the late seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. Seventeenth- and eighteenth-century examples have a short, collarlike neck and an exaggerated profile, with bulging shoulders and a constricted waist; nineteenth-century examples, by contrast, show a more subdued profile but have a tall neck and a beveled foot. In the East Asian dualistic yin-yang interpretation of the universe, the dragon symbolizes the yang, or male, principle, while the phoenix represents the yin, or female, principle. Associated with water, the auspicious dragon is typically paired with clouds, mist, or rolling waves; the flaming jewel, borrowed from the repertory of Buddhist art, symbolizes transcendent wisdom. The motif here of a dragon chasing a flaming jewel thus symbolizes the pursuit of wisdom.
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Circular tray with three ring-form-feet and five cups
Five matching cups, each with wide, rimless mouth and sides tapering inward to small, slightly splayed circular foot; large circular tray with short, gently rounded sides and three ring-form feet attached to the base at equidistant intervals; white porcelain with transparent glaze tinged with pale celadon green; bases of cups unglazed and each marked with the ideograph 波 (bo) brushed in red ink on the base after firing; the center of the tray base unglazed. From northern China; Hebei or Henan province.
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Small cauldron with flared mouth, crimped waist, and three flat legs; red earthenware. Dawenkou culture. From the middle and lower Yellow River valley regions; Shandong, northern Jiangsu, northern Anhui, and eastern Henan provinces.
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Small, Pear-Shaped Bottle with Flaring Lip and Decoration of Two Fish
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Mountain-form censer (boshanlu)
Incense burner with cover in the form of a mountain peak, bowl-shaped receptacle supported on a short cylindrical stem, and attached circular tray with vertical sides as the base; the cover pierced with small circular openings and decorated in high relief with representations of hills with vertical striations and appliques of animals and reptilian beasts; light gray stoneware with pale yellow-green celadon glaze. Place of manufacture uncertain, probably from southern China.
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Cup with wide, rimless mouth and sides tapering inward to a small, slightly splayed circular foot; white porcelain with transparent glaze tinged with pale celadon green that stops short of the foot; base unglazed and marked with the ideograph 波 (bo) brush-written in red ink on the base after firing. From northern China; Hebei or Henan province Part of a set comprising five cups and a circular tray (2006.170.1-6).
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Cup with wide, rimless mouth and sides tapering inward to a small, slightly splayed circular foot; white porcelain with transparent glaze tinged with pale celadon green that stops short of the foot; base unglazed and marked with the ideograph 波 (bo) brush-written in red ink on the base after firing. From northern China; Hebei or Henan province. Part of a set comprising five cups and a circular tray (2006.170.1-6).
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Compressed pear-shaped receptacle supported on a short, wide footring, the upper portion in the form of a conical bowl, with small circular opening at the juncture between the upper and lower halves; porcelaneous white stoneware with lustrous ivory-hued glaze. Probably from the Ding kilns at Quyang, Hebei province.
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Vessel in the form of a mythical beast
Small hollow container of uncertain function with tubular opening and body in the form of a seated mythical beast of ferocious appearance: large, bulging eyes, flared nostrils, open mouth, pointed fangs, and protruding tongue; his body squat and rotund; four limbs slender, rope-like, and bent, the beast’s proper right paw bearing a segmented fruit resembling a melon, resting on his knee; light gray stoneware with olive-green celadon glaze over incised, molded, gouged, and applique decoration; glaze appears to have been wiped away from the slightly concave base before firing. From the Yue kilns in the Shaoxing area of northeastern Zhejiang province. Note: Samples taken from the base of this vessel were thermoluminescence (TL) tested at Oxford Authentication Ltd. in March 1999 and determined to be consistent with the suggested period of manufacture.
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Broad-shouldered jar supporting a multi-tiered, tiled-roof architectural complex surrounded by birds, monkeys, dragons, and numerous male figures engaged in various activities; the sides of the jar further embellished with molded appliques of kneeling male figures bearing a staff; light gray stoneware with olive-green celadon glaze over molded and applique decoration; flat, circular base unglazed. From the Yue kilns in the Shaoxing area, northeastern Zhejiang province. Hunping, or “urns of the soul,” were fashioned to house the spirit of individuals and placed in tombs. Such vessels were produced for a relatively short period, from the third to fourth century, in the lower Yangzi River region.
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Wide-Mouthed Jar with Low Ring Foot and Stylized Floral Decor
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Round-Bottomed, Globular Jar with Two Lug Handles and with Basket-Weave Decor
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Cylindrical Brushpot with Black Glaze and Traces of Floral Decoration
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Large Compressed, Globular Bottle with Long, Cylindrical Neck and "Powder Blue" Glaze
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Small Broad-Shouldered Vase with Flaring Foot and Lip and Green Glaze
Make your reservation to visit the Harvard Art Museums now!
Transport yourself over millennia and marvel at East Asian ceramics of all shapes, styles, colors, and textures.
Don’t miss this rare opportunity to explore highlights from the Harvard Art Museums’ collection of Asian ceramics. Anchored by standout works from Korea and China, and also featuring objects from Vietnam and Japan, the exhibition emphasizes how visual, material, and technical features varied across time and place—while also drawing connections among potters working in disparate contexts.
Made between the 5th millennium BCE and the 21st century, the over 100 works in the exhibition display a wide range of techniques used by potters to channel the intense heat of the kiln. These potters, whose identities have largely not been recorded, used ceramic wares to capture the essence of East Asian cultures during their lifetimes. A selection of objects in the exhibition depicting animals and observations of the natural world provides one important window into this relationship between artists and their milieus.
Discover dragons, a popular motif on Korean and Chinese ceramics that is associated with royals, and see how these mythical creatures can take on both comical and majestic forms. In addition, the story of ceramics would not be complete without an exploration of cobalt blue and its importance to the aesthetics of East Asian ceramics. This becomes evident in the selection of platters and jars on view in the exhibition, from perfectly executed Chinese imperial ware to delightfully informal Korean and Vietnamese examples.
Curated by Sarah Laursen, Alan J. Dworsky Associate Curator of Chinese Art, and Soyoung Lee, Landon and Lavinia Clay Chief Curator, with contributions by Yuhua Ding, Gregory and Maria Henderson Curatorial Fellow in East Asian Art, and Yan Yang, Cunningham Curatorial Assistant for the Collection, Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art.
This exhibition is supported by the Gregory and Maria Henderson Fund.