Detail of the Ming Dynasty Vase with Rabbits in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, August 2023

Title: Vase with rabbits

Period: Ming dynasty (1368–1644)

Date: late 16th century

Culture: China

Medium: Porcelain painted in underglaze cobalt blue (Jingdezhen ware)

Dimensions: H. 23 in. (58.4 cm)

Classification: Ceramics

Credit Line: Bequest of Mary Clark Thompson, 1923

Accession Number: 24.80.168

High-fired porcelain decorated with intense blue pigment under a clear glaze reached an unprecedented height of technical excellence and artistic sophistication during the Ming dynasty, when fine porcelain wares were mass produced and sold to many parts of the world. Their decoration attests to the active cultural exchanges facilitated by maritime trade. The animated rabbits are derived from Chinese sources, whereas the arabesques of scrolling vines and flowers are common motifs in Islamic art.

Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/49857