The painted decoration in this box cover provides an interesting image of the antiquities and objects being collected in the Chinese scholar’s desk—all of which are emblems of taste, status, and affluence. Connoisseurship, art cataloguing, art historical study, and elegant social gatherings developed alongside art collecting as part of the Chinese literati culture.

<i>The Severance and Greta Millikin Collection</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 5-September 2, 1990).

The Severance and Greta Millikin Collection

A white porcelain box with scalloped corners features a recessed lid decorated with an overglaze enamel still life. To the left, a tripod vessel and jar sit behind a bowl on a pink stand. Centrally, a tall vase with geometric patterns holds a pink flower. To the right, a blue bowl contains scrolls and a floral fan, all rendered in a palette of red, blue, green, and brown.

(Christie's, London, June 28, 1965, no. 21)

(John Sparks, Ltd., London, sold to Severance and Greta Millikin)

Severance A. [1895-1985] and Greta Millikin [1903-1989], Cleveland, OH, bequest to the Cleveland Museum of Art

The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Square Covered Box with Hundred Antiquities

China, Jiangxi Province, Jingdezhen kilns, Qing dynasty

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