Small covered wine pot or teapot 1662 - 1722

Editor: Here we have a lovely artifact: a Chinese covered wine pot or teapot, dated sometime between 1662 and 1722. It’s currently housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I’m really drawn to its miniature size and the delicate blue and white ceramic work. What strikes you most about it? Curator: Well, the ceramic is definitely the focal point, isn’t it? Let's think about the production itself. Porcelain like this was hardly a singular achievement; it relied on intricate labor practices, likely entire workshops dedicated to each step. Do you notice the cobalt pigment? It’s fascinating how this particular blue became so associated with Chinese ceramics, given its trade routes from Persia. What do you think the use of foreign materials suggests? Editor: It highlights a complex global trade network that extended far beyond China’s borders. Did this impact how the artists worked, and what types of works they created? Curator: Absolutely. Demand from Europe drove significant changes in the types of designs that were produced. Objects like this teapot, while potentially functional, also become commodities, signifying wealth and status. So, we have to consider not just the aesthetics, but also the object's social life, if you will. Who used this object? Where? Editor: That’s interesting. I was focusing on the images depicted on it—the figures and flowers—without thinking enough about the global network behind its production. Curator: Exactly! Examining the clay, the paint, and the methods reveals a story of not only artistry but commerce, and cultural exchange. Considering all this brings so much to the artwork.