The kind of piece that looks like it was already in the room. Hand-thrown and hand-painted in Jingdezhen — the Chinese town with centuries of imperial porcelain history behind it.

The motif is bogu: a traditional pattern that catalogs objects of refinement — bronzes, jade, porcelain, calligraphy, bonsai. It's a painting about collecting, on a piece worth collecting.

At nearly 20 inches, it holds a room. On a console, a bookshelf, or the floor beside a chair it's been there for decades.

19½" × 10" · Hand-thrown, hand-painted porcelain