Grayson PerryAnother Motion in the Craft Versus Art Debate

PROVENANCE

Private Collection, Brighton (acquired directly from the artist in 1993).

The shape and design of the current work is derived from ancient Chinese "Hu" vessels which were made for the storage of wine. The earliest example of such a vessel was excavated from a burial chamber that dates to the Zhou dynasty (1046-246 BC) but other examples have been uncovered from subsequent dynasties such as the Song, Ming and Qing. The "Hu" is particularly noted for its identical dimensions in height, width and depth, something reminiscent of the Ancient Greek "Krater" vessels of the 5th Century BC, also used for the  mixing and storage of wine.

Onto these ancient surfaces Perry transfers photographic images taken from art history books depicting scenes from French 18th Century Rococo painting. This fusion of ancient Chinese and 18th Century French art came to be known as Chinoiserie, but its handling under the direction of Grayson Perry is of one of stark contrast rather than harmonious integration.