West and East Asian Art

Over the span of 5,000 years, Chinese ceramics have evolved from low-fired earthenware to stoneware to high-fired porcelain. Technological advancements, many unique to China, transformed the once low-cost medium into a luxury.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, wealthy and powerful people around the world spent vast amounts of money to obtain porcelain. The best pieces, made in the “porcelain capital” Jingdezhen, were made only for the Chinese emperor.

To supply the imperial court, potters created pieces demonstrating the latest developments in ceramics while incorporating forms and motifs from past centuries. The 18th-century Imperial Bat and Cloud vase, located in the center of this gallery, represents the latest in ceramic innovation at the time. Yet on its neck are two dragons that copy Neolithic examples in jade from the 3rd millennium BCE.

In 2014, longtime museum supporter Bert R. Clift Jr. bequeathed his Chinese ceramic and paintings collection to the UMFA, greatly strengthening the Museum’s 17th through 20th century holdings. The museum’s West and East Asian collection continues to grow through the acquisition of historic and contemporary artworks.

Any future loans, gifts, or purchases of West and East Asian archaeological material must meet the 2019 Memorandum of Understanding between China and the United States as well as the 2013 AAMD guidelines on the acquisition of archaeological objects.

This reinstallation was made possible with funds from the McCarthey Family Foundation.