Period:Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
Date:late 19th century
Culture:China
Medium:Porcelain painted with colored enamels on the biscuit (Jingdezhen ware)
Dimensions:H. 28 in. (71.1 cm)
Classification:Ceramics
Credit Line:Bequest of Benjamin Altman, 1913
Accession Number:14.40.399
Recent studies have suggested that large vases with black backgrounds such as this were produced in the late nineteenth century to meet rising demand from collectors in Europe and the United States. The resurgence of interest in vases with this color scheme remains difficult to explain; however, it may have been spurred by an interest in Japanese lacquer, which is also often characterized by the use of a black background.