DEVIL’S WORK, 2023
Jump to section ︎︎︎
1. Ceramics
2. Flora
3. Behind the scenes
1. Ceramics
TeapotMade in Jingdezhen, China, 1695–1705
Made of Hard-Paste Porcelain
H. 6.33”, W. 4.125”
Gift of H. Gordon Leggett, Jr., R2005.2.27ab
2. Flora
Poppies (esp. opium poppies, Papaver somniferum) are native to the eastern Mediterranean Sea region. They have a long history of medicinal use. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Britain’s East India Company used opium trade extensively in Asia to increase its power and wealth in trade. China tried to enforce opium bans in the 1800s, leading to the Opium Wars between Britain and China.
Cherries have a long history in European art, often representing the fruit of Paradise throughout Biblical painting and later secular still lifes. In modern Chinese symbology, cherries are often symbols of prosperity as well as long life--their Chinese name 櫻桃 (yīng táo) shares its second character with the word for peach, 桃 (táo), which is a classic Chinese symbol of longevity and good fortune.
3. Behind the scenes
The paper flowers in the scene are based on the tradition of Chinese paper-cutting (剪紙, jiǎn zhǐ).
︎︎︎PREV
NEXT︎︎︎
