IN THE MUSEUMS
Two Vases – 18th century
porcelain early 18th century, mounts ca. 1765
Gift of Mrs. Charles Wrightsman.
Provenance: Galerie Kraemer.
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
These two porcelain vases are made of Japanese Imari porcelain: they are both sturdy and delicate-looking. Jayne and Charles Wrightsman amassed an outstanding collection of 18th century French furniture and art pieces.
French craftsmen used porcelain from Japan as well as China. These pieces are made of Imari porcelain, which was heavily imported into Europe by the Dutch West India Company in the mid-eighteenth century.
Japanese craftsmen would emulate European designs when decorating porcelain pieces to cater to the high demand from the West, while still staying true to Asian spirituality. The iconography revolved primarily around flowers and animals.
