Peach-shaped wine pot or teapot 1698 - 1802

Curator: The object we're looking at is a peach-shaped wine pot, or perhaps a teapot, dating from the late 17th to early 19th century during the Qing Dynasty. It's part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Asian art collection. Editor: My first impression is that it's surprisingly sensual. The glossy, dark blue glaze, that bulbous form...it has a striking presence despite its relatively small size. Curator: Absolutely. The peach, particularly in Chinese art, is deeply symbolic. Beyond longevity and immortality, it carries associations with fertility, sexuality, and feminine power. So calling it a teapot seems reductive! The color also feels significant, with that blue hue associated with imperial power. It begs the question: who owned this? Editor: The turquoise handle and spout disrupt that singular narrative. The brighter colour contrasts with the solemn darkness of the body, evoking notions of dualism. Perhaps the play of feminine and masculine as you alluded to. The ceramic almost imitates jade through its polished look. It's hard not to associate the piece with beauty practices because of its colors and texture. Curator: I see what you mean. These vibrant contrasting hues serve to complicate any singular reading. They could challenge gender roles as they were being performed, suggesting fluidity. Perhaps the commissioner or artist were making a quiet political or social intervention by presenting a culturally feminine form with signifiers of imperial control. Editor: Thinking about longevity, perhaps the peach relates not just to the individual but also to lineage. A desire, therefore, to make permanent the present social order. Curator: An intriguing idea. It emphasizes the piece’s complicated intersectional politics by making lineage so critical to its understanding of power. I hadn’t considered the desire for institutional, dynastic continuity expressed by the work. Editor: Precisely, and the pot’s striking appearance isn't accidental. By activating potent cultural symbols, the artist creates something with lingering power. Thank you for drawing out those political implications so precisely. Curator: And thank you for illuminating the deeper symbolic currents within its visual vocabulary. Hopefully, visitors will begin to question simple categorization when thinking about the complexities presented by this piece.