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. The object is a blue-and-white ceramic vessel, featuring a lid and two handles.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The covered wine pot or teapot is a Chinese painting dated 1692 that depicts a boy.
The covered wine pot or teapot is a Chinese painting dated 1692 that depicts a boy. As a representation of a child, the figure likely carries the auspicious symbolism traditionally associated with boys in Chinese visual culture, where youthful male subjects often stand for continuity of the family line, prosperity, and good fortune. The pairing of such a figure with a vessel form, a covered wine pot or teapot, suggests a theme of domestic ritual and hospitality, common in late seventeenth-century Chinese decorative arts.
The work is held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art as part of the Robert Lehman Collection, situating it within a context of refined objects meant for both use and contemplation.
History & Provenance
The covered wine pot or teapot dates to 1692, a creation date recorded for the work in its cataloguing. It is classified as a painting and is documented as part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art collection.
Ownership of the object is traced to Robert Lehman, indicating that it passed through the Robert Lehman collection before reaching the museum. The work is identified within the Metropolitan Museum of Art holdings under accession reference 1975.1.1701, consistent with a transfer from a private collection into the museum's holdings in the latter half of the twentieth century.
No information on the original commission, earlier provenance, or chain of ownership prior to Robert Lehman is recorded in the available sources.
The Covered wine pot or teapot is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The work was accessioned under the number 1975.1.1701, following its acquisition from the Robert Lehman collection. While the painting depicts a boy and dates to 1692, the provided sources do not list any specific exhibition history for this object.
Overview
The object is a blue-and-white ceramic vessel, featuring a lid and two handles. Its glaze presents a deep, glossy cobalt background over which white motifs are painted, including winding vines, avian forms, and a diminutive figure clutching a scroll.
Technique & Style
The piece exemplifies the classic Chinese underglaze blue technique, where cobalt pigment is applied before a transparent glaze is fired, yielding the characteristic contrast of white design on a dark surface. The intricate line work reflects the high level of craftsmanship typical of the era's porcelain production.
Context
Such vessels were commonly used in daily life, serving both functional and decorative purposes. The presence of a scroll‑holding figure suggests a cultural appreciation for literature and education, themes often celebrated in household objects of the time.
Artist & collection
- Small wine pot or teapot
Small covered winepot or teapot (see also 1975.1.1710 and 1975.1.1712)
Small covered wine pot or teapot (similar to 1975.1.15-17)
Covered wine pot or teapot
Small covered winepot or teapot (similar to 1975.1.1714-16)
Teapot (a) and saucer (b)
Covered Cup and Saucer
Plum Branch and Teapot
Cup and saucer
Small vase
Small vase
Vas ovoidal cu pântecul proeminent și relativ jos, cu gâtul înalt ce se lărgește spre buza evazată. Toarta pornește de la nivelul gâtului și se unește cu corpul în zona diametrului maxim al vasului. Este smălțuit în interior și exterior. Decorul este format din două vaze cu câte cinci lalele încadrate de motive geometrice: tabla de șah și câte două linii concentrice. Baza vasului este decorată cu două linii circulare. Toarta este decorată cu motive vegetale stilizate. Pe fundul vasului apare scris numele meșterului ”Jozsa Janos” și ”Korond”. Cromatică: fond: alb; motive: albastru.