Plate with birds and flowers

Plate with birds and flowers

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

As the first point of contact between Europe and China, Canton (now Guangzhou) was a center of enamel production and distribution throughout the eighteenth and the nineteenth centuries. Wares from the city’s workshops, known as “Canton enamels,” commonly featured popular motifs based on court designs from Beijing. One of the most favored examples depicts lively birds and flowers surrounded by a dense floral border. This design can be found on enameled porcelain created for both domestic and export markets.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Plate with birds and flowersPlate with birds and flowersPlate with birds and flowersPlate with birds and flowersPlate with birds and flowers

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.