October 14, 2017–ongoing
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Dates
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Location
Freer Gallery of Art | Gallery 13
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Collection Area
Chinese Art
Many of the powerful emperors of China’s last dynasties—the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1912)—were patrons, collectors, and casual practitioners of the arts. They used art to legitimize and glorify their rule. It served many functions: for state rituals, for expressing piety, to dazzle palace visitors, to build diplomatic relations, and for personal pleasure.
The emperors’ officials oversaw the palace painting academy, imperial porcelain factory, and numerous other workshops. Their artists creatively reworked earlier traditions, which bolstered the emperors’ legitimacy by showing their command of China’s long history.
Many emperors supported international trade with Japan and Korea, Southeast Asia, the Himalayas, and the Indian subcontinent as well as the Islamic world and Europe. These exchanges helped shape the development of Chinese art, especially in the early fifteenth-century and eighteenth-century courts emphasized in this gallery.
While the Ming and Qing courts followed many of the same practices in government and art, the Ming emperors were native Chinese, and the Qing rulers were not. Heirs of Manchu chieftains who swept into China on horseback from the north, the Qing emperors embraced all things Chinese, but also steadfastly maintained their own traditions.
Dish with design of dragons and clouds (detail), China, Jiangxi province, Jingdezhen, Ming dynasty, Xuande Reign, 1426–1435, porcelain with cobalt under clear glaze, enamel over glaze, Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment, Freer Gallery of Art, F1965.4
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Peonies
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Period
Qing dynasty
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Geography
China
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Material
Ink and color on silk
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Accession
F1901.172
Planter with impressed character yi (one)
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Period
Probably Ming dynasty, or possibly Yuan dynasty
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Geography
Juntai, Henan province, China
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Material
Stoneware with Jun glaze
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Accession
F1907.38a-b
Flower pot stand with impressed character liu (six)
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Period
Probably Ming dynasty, or possibly Yuan dynasty
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Geography
Juntai, Henan province, China
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Material
Stoneware with Jun glaze and copper pigment
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Accession
F1907.99
Three Horsemen Riding under Willows
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Period
Ming dynasty
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Geography
China
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Material
Ink and color on silk
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Accession
F1909.163
Vase shaped like an archaic gu
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Period
Qing dynasty, Kangxi reign
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Geography
China
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Material
Cloisonné
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Accession
F1911.145a-c
Tiger with cubs and magpies
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Period
Ming dynasty
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Geography
Possibly Zhejiang province, China
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Material
Ink and color on silk
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Accession
F1911.252
Zhong Kui and Demons Crossing a Bridge
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Period
Ming dynasty
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Geography
China
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Material
Ink and color on silk
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Accession
F1911.283
Visiting the Sage at Wei River
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Period
Ming dynasty
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Geography
China
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Material
Hanging scroll mounted on panel; ink and color on silk
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Accession
F1911.296
Guan ware Vase with tubular handles
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Period
Southern Song dynasty
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Geography
Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China
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Material
Stoneware with Guan glaze
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Accession
F1911.347
Playing Weiqi under the Pines
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Period
Ming dynasty
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Geography
China
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Material
Hanging scroll mounted on panel; ink and color on silk
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Accession
F1916.193
Palace Women and Children Celebrating the New Year
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Period
Ming dynasty
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Geography
China
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Material
Ink and color on silk
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Accession
F1916.403
Carrying a Zither while Searching for Plum Blossoms
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Period
Ming dynasty
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Geography
China
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Material
Hanging scroll mounted on panel; ink and color on silk
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Accession
F1919.125
Xuanwu, God of the North
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Period
Ming dynasty
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Geography
China
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Material
Ink and color on silk
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Accession
F1919.179
dish with cotton rose, gardenia, and wintersweet
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Period
Qing dynasty, Yongzheng reign mark and period
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Geography
Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, China
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Material
Porcelain with lead-silicate enamels over colorless clear glaze
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Accession
F1928.3a-e
Dish with flowering trees
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Period
Qing dynasty, Yongzheng reign mark and period
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Geography
Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, China
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Material
Porcelain with enamels over colorless clear glaze
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Accession
F1928.4a-b
Bowl with design of mynahs
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Period
Qing dynasty, Yongzheng reign mark and period
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Geography
Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, China
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Material
Porcelain with enamels over clear, colorless glaze
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Accession
F1930.35a-b
Guan ware bowl
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Period
Southern Song dynasty
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Geography
Jiaotanxia kiln, Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China
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Material
Stoneware with Guan glaze
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Accession
F1932.58
Cup with landscape
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Period
Qing dynasty, Yongzheng reign mark and period
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Geography
Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, China
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Material
Porcelain with colorless glaze and blue, black, and ruby enamels over the glaze
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Accession
F1932.63a-g
Small bowl with overglaze decoration
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Period
Qing dynasty, Yongzheng period, Yongzheng reign mark and period
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Geography
Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, China
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Material
Porcelain with colorless glaze and overglaze enamel decoration and mark
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Accession
F1934.2a-g
Vase with "peach bloom" copper-red glaze
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Period
Qing dynasty, Kangxi reign mark and period
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Geography
Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, China
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Material
Porcelain with copper-red "peach bloom" glaze; ivory stand
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Accession
F1942.20a-c
Pillow with inscription by the Qianlong emperor dated 1768, Cizhou type ware
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Period
Northern Song or Southern Song dynasty
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Geography
China
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Material
Stoneware with white slip under colorless glaze and traces of cinnabar
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Accession
F1942.21
Ritual wine cup (gu) with masks (taotie), snakes, and cicadas
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Period
Late Shang dynasty, late Anyang period
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Geography
Anyang, probably Henan province, China
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Material
Bronze
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Accession
F1943.9
Stem bowl permanently set into a stand, with both parts freely revolving
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Period
Qing dynasty, Qianlong reign
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Geography
Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, China
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Material
Porcelain with celadon and clear glazes, overglaze enamels
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Accession
F1944.13
Stem bowl with attached stand
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Period
Qing dynasty, Qianlong reign
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Geography
Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, China
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Material
Porcelain with celadon glaze and enamel over clear, colorless glaze
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Accession
F1944.14
Tripod vessel with cover
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Period
Qing dynasty, Qianlong reign
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Geography
China
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Material
Jade (nephrite), wooden stand
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Accession
F1944.18a-c
Vase
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Period
Qing dynasty, Qianlong reign mark and period
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Geography
Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, China
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Material
Porcelain with lead-silicate enamels over transparent pale-brown glaze
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Accession
F1945.2
Nepalese-Chinese-style bodhisattva
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Period
Yuan dynasty
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Geography
China
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Material
Lacquer, cloth, traces of blue, gold, and green paint, and gold leaf
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Accession
F1945.4
Bottle
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Period
Qing dynasty, Yongzheng reign
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Geography
Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, China
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Material
Porcelain with cobalt pigment under colorless glaze and enamels over glaze (doucai format)
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Accession
F1945.39a-c
Bottle
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Period
Qing dynasty, Yongzheng reign
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Geography
Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, China
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Material
Porcelain with cobalt pigment under colorless glaze and enamels over glaze (doucai format)
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Accession
F1945.40a-b
Covered jar of gold inlaid with gems
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Period
Ming dynasty, Xuande reign
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Geography
China
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Material
Gold with semiprecious stones
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Accession
F1952.29a-b
Bowl
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Period
Ming dynasty, Xuande reign
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Geography
Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, China
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Material
Porcelain with cobalt decoration under colorless glaze
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Accession
F1953.2a-c
Vase of bottle shape with "garlic" mouth
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Period
Qing dynasty or possibly modern, Qianlong reign
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Geography
Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, China
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Material
Porcelain with enamels over clear, colorless glaze; ivory stand
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Accession
F1954.127a-e
Ritual wine vessel (hu)
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Period
Western Zhou dynasty
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Geography
China
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Material
Bronze
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Accession
F1959.14a-b
Ritual vessel (kuei)
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Period
Western Zhou dynasty
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Geography
China
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Material
Bronze
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Accession
F1960.19a-b
Dish with coxcomb and rock design
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Period
Ming dynasty
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Geography
Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, China
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Material
Porcelain with cobalt under transparent colorless glaze
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Accession
F1961.14
Dish with design of dragons and clouds
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Period
Ming dynasty, Xuande Reign
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Geography
Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, China
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Material
Porcelain with cobalt under clear glaze, enamel over glaze
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Accession
F1965.4
Lofty Scholar in Autumn Woods 《秋林閒眺圖》
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Period
Qing dynasty
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Geography
China
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Material
Ink and color on silk
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Accession
F1965.24
Jingdezhen ware dish
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Period
Qing dynasty, Yongzheng reign mark and period
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Geography
Imperial kiln, Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, China
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Material
Porcelain with celadon glaze and cobalt pigment under clear glaze
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Accession
F1978.46
Landscape in the Style of Wang Meng
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Period
Qing dynasty
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Geography
China
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Material
Ink and color on paper
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Accession
F1980.113
Butterflies, Lilies and Rock
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Period
Qing dynasty
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Geography
China
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Material
Ink and color on silk
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Accession
F1980.119
Mountain Landscape
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Period
Qing dynasty
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Geography
China
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Material
Ink and color on paper
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Accession
F1980.142f
Scholar Reading in a Thatched Hut
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Period
Qing dynasty
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Geography
China
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Material
Ink and color on paper
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Accession
F1980.142j
Landscape in the Style of Zhao Mengfu (1254-1322)
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Period
Qing dynasty
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Geography
China
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Material
Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper
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Accession
F1981.8
Musical chimestone with dragon decoration
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Period
Qing dynasty, Kangxi reign
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Geography
China
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Material
Nephrite with gold; rosewood stand
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Accession
F1982.11a-d
Zhong Kui, the Demon Queller, Patrolling the Palace
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Period
Qing dynasty
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Geography
China
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Material
Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk
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Accession
F1982.13
Goose
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Period
Qing dynasty
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Geography
China
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Material
Hanging scroll; ink on mica-ground paper
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Accession
F1984.37
Poem on Lingyan Temple in running script
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Period
Qing dynasty
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Geography
China
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Material
Hanging scroll mounted on panel; ink on peach silk with gold flecks and hand-painted floral designs
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Accession
F1990.5
Treasure Box of Eternal Spring and Longevity 剔紅春壽寶盒
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Period
Qing dynasty, Qianlong reign
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Geography
China
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Material
Carved red, green, and yellow lacquer on wood core
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Accession
F1990.15a-e
Cloisonne stupa with gilt ornaments
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Period
Qing dynasty, Qianlong reign
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Geography
China
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Material
Metal, enamel, gilt in the cloisonne technique
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Accession
F1991.6
Beaker-shaped vase
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Period
Qing dynasty, Kangxi reign mark and period
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Geography
Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, China
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Material
Porcelain with clair de lune glaze
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Accession
F1991.13
Central Asian groom pasturing a horse
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Period
Yuan or Ming dynasty
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Geography
China
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Material
Ink and color on silk
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Accession
F1992.40
Tripod bowl with wooden stand
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Period
Qing dynasty, Qianlong reign mark and period
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Geography
Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, China
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Material
Porcelain clay with "teadust" glaze; hardwood stand
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Accession
F1994.3a-b
Bowl with eight trigrams
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Period
Qing dynasty, Kangxi reign mark and period
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Geography
Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, China
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Material
Porcelain with cobalt pigment under clear glaze
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Accession
F1995.8
Stem bowl
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Period
Ming dynasty, Yongle reign
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Geography
Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, China
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Material
Porcelain with 'sweet white' glaze
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Accession
F1998.7
Vase with Ru-type glaze
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Period
Qing dynasty, Yongzheng reign mark and period
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Geography
Imperial kiln, Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, China
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Material
Porcelain with celadon glaze, slip coating on foot rim, and cobalt mark under the glaze; wooden stand (undated)
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Accession
F1998.80a-b
Base for an offering mandala used in Tibetan Buddhist rituals
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Period
Ming dynasty, Probably Yongle reign
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Geography
China
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Material
Enamels on brass, wire, traces of gilding (cloisonné)
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Accession
F1998.295
The Qianlong Emperor as Manjushri, the Bodhisattva of Wisdom
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Period
Qing dynasty, Qianlong reign
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Geography
China
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Material
Ink, color, and gold on silk
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Accession
F2000.4
Whiling Away the Summer in the Shade of Pines 《松陰消夏圖》
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Period
Ming dynasty
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Geography
China
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Material
Ink and color on silk
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Accession
F2002.3
Dish
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Period
Northern Song or Jin dynasty
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Geography
possibly Linru kilns, Henan province, China
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Material
Stoneware with Green Jun glaze
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Accession
F2007.3
Dish with copper-red glaze, and a Xuande mark in cobalt oxide on the base
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Period
Ming dynasty, Xuande reign
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Geography
Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, China
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Material
Porcelain with copper-red glaze
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Accession
F2015.2a-b
Rank badge – double phoenix
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Period
Ming dynasty
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Geography
China
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Material
Silk
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Accession
F2017.7
Rank badge with Lion
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Period
Early Ming dynasty
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Geography
China
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Material
Silk
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Accession
F2017.10