Vase with lotus scrolls

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Judging from the pattern style and translucent enamels, especially the dark purple, the central part of this vase was a jar from the second half of the fifteenth century. But the enamel over its trumpet-shaped neck and foot ring has a dull and grayish tone, likely from the late sixteenth century. It is not unusual to see such combination of parts from different periods when cloisonné came to be favored in the antique market. These “fusion” works, like this vase, were often embellished with an apocryphal mark of Jingtai (1450–57), a legendary golden period of Chinese cloisonné.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art