Jar with dragon
Unknown Artist
White porcelain painted with cobalt blue, a style that first flourished in China in the fourteenth century, is arguably the most important development in the history of ceramics. Commissioned by the court, this spectacular storage jar, made in the kilns in Jingdezhen, is dated to the rule of the Xuande emperor by an inscription on its shoulder. Its painted decoration features an animated dragon undulating across a sparsely clouded sky.
Credit: Gift of Robert E. Tod, 1937
Early 15th century
Porcelain painted with cobalt blue under transparent glaze (jingdezhen ware)
48.3 x 48.3 cm
37.191.1
Image and text © Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2025
Where you'll find this
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Permanent collection
