The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 18, 2024

Vase with flower arrangement and scrollwork

Vase with flower arrangement and scrollwork

c. 1750–1800
Gum tempera and gold on paper
Gift in honor of Madeline Neves Clapp; Gift of Mrs. Henry White Cannon by exchange; Bequest of Louise T. Cooper; Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund; From the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection 2013.354
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

The blue bell-shaped flowers may be neelakurinji, which bloom once every twelve years.

Description

The symmetry of the floral arrangement emerging from the blue-and-white porcelain vase reveals an idealized vision. The overflowing vase is among the most ancient motifs in Indian art, used to convey the concept of abundance. This image, made for an elite patron of northern India, implies the prosperity that has accrued from international connections. The vase, painted with a European-style landscape, is of the type that was made in China for export to Europe. The scrolling ornament on either side may be ultimately derived from Persian motifs, but reworked into a European style, painted by Indian artists.
  • December 9, 1980
    (Sotheby Park Bernet, New York, NY, Fine Oriental Miniatures, Manuscripts and Works of Art, 9 December 1980, lot 28)
    ?–2002
    (Sam Fogg, London, England, sold to Catherine Glynn Benkaim)
    2002–2013
    (Catherine Glynn Benkaim [b. 1946], Beverly Hills, CA, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    2013–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Mace, Sonya Rhie, Mohsen Ashtiany, Catherine Glynn, Pedro Moura Carvalho, Marcus Fraser, and Ruby Lal. Mughal Paintings: Art and Stories: the Cleveland Museum of Art. London: D Giles Limited, 2016. Reproduced: cat. no. 79; mentioned: p. 343.
    Desjardins, Tara. "Patna, Lucknow, and the Curious Crest of John Deane: An Investigation of Two Indian Glass Centers and a Colonial Drinking Set." Journal of glass studies, vol. 63 (2021): 247–267. Mentioned and Reproduced: Fig. 13, p. 263.
  • Nature Supernatural (Indian Painting rotation). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 22, 2023-March 3, 2024).
    Imagining the Garden. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 24, 2015-March 6, 2016).
  • {{cite web|title=Vase with flower arrangement and scrollwork|url=false|author=|year=c. 1750–1800|access-date=18 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2013.354