Ming dynasty · Wanli era export
The Burghley Ewer
青花执壶(英国银鎏金镶座) · 明万历
porcelain 1573–ca.1585English mounts ca.1585sailed to Europe
Made at Jingdezhen in the Wanli era, this ewer crossed half the world by ship and reached England before 1585, where goldsmiths dressed it in gilded silver mounts — porcelain was then rarer than silver itself. It stood for centuries at Burghley House, Lincolnshire.
Pieces like this began Europe’s three-hundred-year obsession with Chinese porcelain. The mounts are a compliment: the West literally framed this ware in precious metal.
Where it lives now 现藏
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (open access, CC0) — view in the collection →