The blue tonality on the top pair of Chinese ginger jars corresponds to a similar color of blue displayed in the painting, by American artist, Margot Stewart. The taller pair of Chinese vases harmonizes colorwise with the colors in the room.
Porcelain plates, vases, cachepots, and figurines add a lovely dimension to walls, shelves, and tabletops. Porcelain of varying colors, shapes, and sizes can enhance the character of the room where it is placed, as well as the artwork that it is near. The luminous glaze of porcelain gently reflects the lighting in a room, adding an indistinguishable touch of glamour. A living room or dining room that lacks porcelain accent pieces inevitably appears to be missing that “certain something,” and can emerge as rawwther mundane or flat. Porcelain and art, when paired well together, can create a symphony of perceptible bliss for any room.
When porcelain pieces are chosen to complement a piece of art with specific colors in mind, the porcelain then becomes part of the overall composition. I like to conjure that artwork visually extends rays of intrigue toward a nearby piece of porcelain. Thus, the entire composition expands and is enhanced for the viewers’ pleasure. Always buy what you love, but keep a color scheme in mind too!
My favorite piece of artwork at my beloved Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington, Connecticut is Jockeys (1886) by Edgar Degas. It is hung over the dining room mantlepiece, which is graced with the Pope Family collection of celadon porcelain pieces, made during the Song (960-1279) and Ming (1368-1644) Dynasties. The pastel artwork has hung in this location since 1901. It is believed that the mantlepiece was designed specifically to feature both the artwork and the celadon pieces. This composition is the perfect illustration of what I am referring to! The harmony between the various shades of green in the pastel drawing and the soft green of the celadon porcelain is a perfect example of art complementing art.
In summary, consider collecting porcelain with the colors of your artwork in mind, and the colors of your room too. Your porcelain will then meld brilliantly and enhance the overall visual aesthetic of the space!
Porcelain has a most captivating history. An entire chapter in my book, The Pretty and Proper Living Room, is dedicated to this topic.
Surrounding art with porcelain plates also adds interest to the subject matter. The blue sweater on our son, Stuart III (accompanied by his dog, Higgins) complements the blue and white porcelain, and blue and white color theme, in our kitchen sitting room.
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