Famille Verte Jar with Cover

Original Language Title清康熙五彩蓋罐

CultureChinese

DateKangxi period (1661-1722)

MediumPorcelain

DimensionsOverall: 23 1/2 × 14 1/2 inches (59.69 × 36.83 cm)

Credit LineGift of C. T. Loo in memory of J. C. Nichols

Object number51-70 A,B

On View

Not on view

Collections

Architecture, Design and Decorative Arts

Terms

DescriptionFigures in landscape enclosed in 8 panels against green ground which has brocade pattern of flowers and butterflies.Gallery Label

Gallery Label

The popularity of blue and green landscapes expanded far beyond China. Famille verte (“green family” in French) is a term that refers to colorful ceramics produced during the Kangxi period (1661–1722) in China. In early processes, blue glaze was fired once under the enamel glaze. In this example, the artist applied a transparent enamel glaze, then applied the blue glaze and fired the jar again. This new technique allowed artists to paint more complex images. Floral borders frame the panels of stories, a style favored by Americans and Europeans, suggesting that this jar may have been exported from China during the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911).

Provenance

Cortlandt Field (1870-1935) and Amy (née Bend, 1870-1957) Bishop, Lenox, MA, by 1935-1945 [1];

Purchased at Amy Bishop's sale, Decorative Objects of Art from the Collections of the late Cortlandt F. Bishop and Mrs. Bishop, Kende Galleries at Gimbel Brothers, New York, December 1, 1945, lot 217, by C. T. Loo & Co., New York, stock no. NLPF-4/1604, 1945-1951 [2];

Their gift to The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 1951 [3].

NOTES:

[1] Cortlandt Field Bishop was an owner of the American Art Association and the Anderson Galleries. This object was offered at Amy Bishop’s sale, The Cortlandt F. Bishop Collection, Part III: Antique Furniture and Objects of Art, American Art Association, Anderson Galleries, New York, November 22, 1935, lot 464, but apparently failed to sell, as it appeared again in the subsequent Bishop sale in 1945, from which it was purchased by C. T. Loo & Co.

[2] C. T. Loo/Frank Caro archive, Musée Guimet, Paris, copy of stock card in Nelson-Atkins curatorial files. C. T. Loo & Co. was incorporated as C. T. Loo, Inc. in 1949.

[3] C. T. Loo's gift was made in memory of J. C. Nichols (1880-1950), the first president of the Nelson-Atkins's trustees, with whom Loo had collaborated on the museum's acquisitions of Asian art for 20 years.

Published References

The Cortlandt F. Bishop Collection, Part III: Antique Furniture and Objects of Art (New York: American Art Association Anderson Galleries, 1935), 89, (repro.).

Decorative Objects of Art from the Collections of the late Cortlandt F. Bishop and Mrs. Bishop (New York: Kende Galleries at Gimbel Brothers, 1945), 33, (repro.).

Information about a particular artwork or image, including provenance information, is based upon historic information and may not be currently accurate or complete. Research on artwork and images is an ongoing process, and the information about a particular artwork or image may not reflect the most current information available to the Museum. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about a particular artwork or image, please e-mail provenance@nelson-atkins.org.