The blue tonality of the pair of Chinese ginger jars corresponds to a similar color in the painting by American artist Margot Stewart, while the two tall pairs of vases harmonize with the colors in the room.
If paired well, porcelain and art can create a symphony of perceptible bliss for any room. Porcelain plates, vases, cachepots, and figurines add a lovely dimension to walls, shelves, and tabletops, enhancing the room's character and artwork.
When porcelain pieces are chosen to complement a piece of art with specific colors in mind, the porcelain becomes part of the overall composition, and the artwork visually extends rays of intrigue toward a nearby piece of porcelain. Thus, the entire composition expands and enhances viewers’ pleasure. A win-win! This is a sound reason to buy what you love while keeping a room's color scheme in mind.
This composition illustrates ‘art and porcelain’ complementing one another!
My favorite artwork at Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington, Connecticut, is Jockeys (1886) by Edgar Degas, which hangs over the dining room mantel. The mantelpiece is graced with the Pope Family collection of celadon porcelain pieces made during the Song (960-1279) and Ming (1368-1644) Dynasties. The mantelpiece was believed to be designed specifically to feature both the artwork and the celadon pieces… just what I am talking about! The harmony between the various pastel shades of green in the artwork and the soft green celadon porcelain is ‘art complementing art.’
Porcelain has a most captivating history. An entire chapter in my book, The Pretty and Proper Living Room, is dedicated to this topic. In summary, consider collecting porcelain with both the colors of your artwork and the colors of a room in mind so that the porcelain will meld brilliantly and enhance the overall visual aesthetic of your space.
Surrounding art with porcelain plates is another way to add interest to the subject matter. The blue and white Meissen, Canton, and Willow Ware plate patterns complement the sweater on our son, Stuart III (with Higgins!), and our kitchen at Fox Hall.
Xx
Holly
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