Exhibition - Dragons and Lotus Blossoms

Dragons and Lotus Blossoms: Vietnamese Ceramics from the Birmingham Museum of Art

Vietnam created the most sophisticated ceramics in Southeast Asia. Though they borrowed from China, Vietnamese potters explored their own indigenous tastes and developed their own production techniques. Through generous gifts and judicious purchases that began in the 1970s, the Museum now has one of the top three collections of Vietnamese ceramics in the United States. From Chinese-inspired shapes of two thousand years ago to the most ornate overglaze-enamel decorated jar anywhere in the world, the collection is rich in the various wares that make up the unique Vietnamese ceramic heritage.

Dragons and Lotus Blossoms is the first exhibition in the United States to explore the colorful history of Vietnamese ceramics. The entire collection at the Museum will be on view. A full-color catalogue accompanies the exhibition with essays by three noted experts, published by University of Washington Press. Be sure to join us for this exhibition of one of the BMA’s great treasures.

Dragons and Lotus Blossoms: Vietnamese Ceramics from the Birmingham Museum of Art is supported by the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the J and H Weldon Foundation.