Artwork
Covered wine pot or teapot
Covered wine pot or teapot is an unspecified painting. It dates from 1696 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
The work depicts a ceramic vessel resembling a covered wine pot or teapot. Its white body is overlaid with a dense decorative scheme of stylized flowers, foliage and small birds rendered in bright reds, greens, blues and yellows. A yellow handle marked with black stripes leads to a lid capped by a blue knob, while the spout bears additional floral motifs.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a domestic object transformed into a visual celebration of nature. The inclusion of birds and blossoms suggests an association with abundance and seasonal renewal, common themes in decorative ceramics that blend utilitarian function with ornamental appeal.
Technique & Style
The piece is executed in glazed ceramic, employing a polychrome palette applied in painted layers before a final firing. The motifs follow a flat, ornamental style typical of East Asian porcelain decoration, with bold outlines and saturated colors that emphasize pattern over realistic representation.
History & Provenance
Specific details about the object's origin, maker or acquisition are not provided. Its stylistic attributes align it with the tradition of painted porcelain vessels produced for both household use and decorative display in the late nineteenth to early twentieth centuries.
Context
Ceramic vessels of this type were often displayed as part of a broader collection of decorative arts, illustrating the cross‑cultural exchange of motifs such as birds and floral bands that traveled between Chinese, Japanese and Western manufacturers.
Legacy
Works like this exemplify the enduring appeal of richly painted porcelain, influencing later studio pottery that revisits historic decorative vocabularies while exploring contemporary forms.
Artist & collection
Small wine pot or teapot
Covered wine pot or teapot
Teapot (a) and saucer (b)
Covered Cup and Saucer
Small covered wine pot or teapot (similar to 1975.1.15-17)
Small covered winepot or teapot (similar to 1975.1.1714-16)
Small covered winepot or teapot (see also 1975.1.1710 and 1975.1.1712)
Cup and saucer
Plum Branch and Teapot
