"The Archer" cistern

Cornelis Pronk

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This water cistern is a rare example of Chinese porcelain with a design attributed to Cornelis Pronk (1691–1759), a Dutch draftsman working for the Dutch East-India Company (VOC). In 1734, the artist was commissioned to make sets of drawings for the decoration of Chinese porcelain, which were sent to China in 1736. Various porcelain dinner services and tea sets in underglaze blue and polychrome enamel were thereafter produced in China and sent back to the Netherlands. Known as “The Archer,” the design on the current piece is among four attributed to Pronk. This work highlights a significant moment when a Western artist became directly involved in creating designs for Chinese export porcelain during the mid-eighteenth century.

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