Chinese, China

Elizabeth A. Williams, curator of decorative arts: This bowl is both a physical product and pictorial documentation of 18th-century global commerce. It depicts the Canton waterfront, where an American flag flies high among those of European countries including England, France, and Holland, heralding the United States’ successful international trade with China beginning in 1784. A series of buildings known as hongs encircles the bowl’s exterior. Operated by Western nations, hongs served as storehouses for the China trade, a lucrative venture that brought tea, silks, porcelain, lacquerware, and other luxury articles to Western shores.

Deborah Diemente, potter and RISD Museum registrar: An individual studio potter today has little in common with the artisans who produced this bowl. Can it speak to us now? Look closely at the intricate decoration on the exterior. Note not only the number of enamels used, each representing years of experimentation, but also the many techniques of application and depth of color. Some lines flow like watercolor while others are sharp as a knife’s edge. Dozens of specialists, each executing one part of the process, labored on this bowl. Each had a particular expertise and yet the collaboration achieved a resonant harmony that could only come from a shared commitment to perfection. Such a virtuoso display of technique is an inspiration. It reminds me of the day my Japanese teacher turned sharply to a student who had complimented his talent for brushwork decoration, saying, “No, no, it is technique, not talent. You must practice, practice, practice!”