Chinese horseman 1760 - 1770

Curator: And now, let's turn our attention to "Chinese Horseman," a porcelain sculpture created by the Nymphenburg Porcelain Manufactory between 1760 and 1770. It currently resides here at The Met. What are your first thoughts? Editor: Well, the lightness of the palette makes me feel like I am seeing the piece through frosted glass. I am amused by its sense of stylized drama—almost cartoonish, but refined in its way. Curator: You picked up on the essence of Rococo perfectly. It's frivolous and delightfully so! Look at the exquisite detail, and see how the dog is included—and how the cape of the rider is swept back behind him, and notice the reins barely grazing the horse. Each detail contributes to the dynamic and aristocratic air of the scene. Editor: Absolutely, every aspect accentuates upward movement: the dog lunging forward, the rearing horse. Even the rider's pointed hat! It directs our eye to the sculpture’s highest point, focusing all the action skyward. How remarkable, really! I am very much amused. Curator: This piece also tells us so much about 18th-century European tastes. The fascination with Chinoiserie—imitating Chinese artistic styles—was at its peak. The so-called “Chinese” figure is, in reality, a Westerner dressed in fanciful oriental garb, which shows this Rococo taste for the whimsical. Editor: The glaze itself also seems deliberately thin in some parts. Are you suggesting that the artist intended that the areas left with less glaze should speak as loudly as the parts that were rendered in meticulous detail? That makes it all feel so contemporary. Curator: The balance of intention and chance is exquisite! I see now what you mean about its “contemporary” feel—it is about that controlled abandonment that draws us in. Editor: It definitely captures the period’s taste, and I will now always picture someone having a lot of fun when thinking about it from now on. What do you think of that? Curator: Couldn't agree more! "Chinese Horseman" remains an enduring example of art as joy—exuberance turned into exquisite porcelain.