oval concave base; sides flare outward slightly from base then steeply inward about halfway up body of vessel, then slightly outward again along tall neck to wide oval mouth opening; white porcelain with light blue designs; decorated on one side with a pair of figures, pair of deer and figure with sword on horseback slaying a large cat surrounded by floral and foliage motifs at bottom and bird with large flowers at top; opposite side decorated with blooming plant at bottom and pair of figures--one seated, one standing--and pair of peacocks flaking a dancer on a stool with a horn at top; floral bands at top, bottom and shoulder

%C2%A9 Robin Best%2C Courtesy Adrian Sassoon Ltd.

British East India Company - Trade & Colonise, 2016

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Porcelain, pigmentsexpand_more

The Alpha Gustafson Endowmentexpand_more  2017.40.2

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Since the early 2010s Australian artist Robin Best has made her home in Jingdezhen, China, the city at the center of the porcelain industry for more than 1,000 years. There she has perfected a style of painting in miniature on porcelain. Best draws her subjects from historical narratives and imagery concerned with global trade and cultural exchange among Europe, South and East Asia, and Australia from the 1600s through the 1800s. These five vases are intended to be seen together and read as a story of British imperialism: they allude to the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 and the subsequent rise of British naval power; the founding of the East India Company in 1600, which advanced Britain’s trade interests with India and China; and the exploration and colonization of Australia in the late 1700s and 1800s.

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Details
Title
British East India Company - Trade & Colonise
Artist Life
born 1953
Role
Artist
Accession Number
2017.40.2
Curator Approved

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oval concave base; sides flare outward slightly from base then steeply inward about halfway up body of vessel, then slightly outward again along tall neck to wide oval mouth opening; white porcelain with light blue designs; decorated on one side with a pair of figures, pair of deer and figure with sword on horseback slaying a large cat surrounded by floral and foliage motifs at bottom and bird with large flowers at top; opposite side decorated with blooming plant at bottom and pair of figures--one seated, one standing--and pair of peacocks flaking a dancer on a stool with a horn at top; floral bands at top, bottom and shoulder

© Robin Best, Courtesy Adrian Sassoon Ltd.

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