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Blue-and-White Boxes


The Gardiner Museum brings together people of all ages and backgrounds through the shared values of creativity, wonder, and community that clay and ceramic traditions inspire.


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Blue-and-White Boxes

August 23, 2020

Mother and daughter at a table making ceramics

Gardiner instructor Audrey Mah shows you how to recreate this beautiful 16th-century Ming box decorated with two dragons. Dragons, particularly five-clawed dragons like these, represented the emperor.

Blue-and-white porcelain box with dragon design

This particular box exemplifies the artistic and culture exchange that existed between eastern and western Asia as far back as the 8th century. White porcelain clay was discovered in China, while the recipe for cobalt blue was a long-held secret of the Ottoman Empire.

Follow these step-by-step instructions to make your own blue-and-white box at home…

You can also download the instructions as a PDF

Materials:

  • Pencil
  • Blue and white paint
  • Paint tray
  • Paint brush
  • Water
  • Small cardboard box

Instructions:

Use the white paint to cover the entire box.

Box painted white with a paint brush

Using the image you see on Gardiner’s blue-and-white box or another image of a dragon (remember that it should have 5 claws), sketch out your dragon on the white box using your pencil.

Pencil drawing of a dragon

Add waves and clouds around the dragon. While the Chinese dragons didn’t have wings, they could still fly! In fact, the emperor was often associated with the gods—and a god-like dragon could fly through the air alongside the clouds.

Hand drawing clouds and waves around a dragon

On the sides of the box, draw a geometric pattern.

Hand drawing a geometric pattern

Start filling in your design with blue paint.

Painting a dragon design blue

Paint the border of your box blue to help frame your design.

Blue design of a dragon with borders on a white box

Paint the geometric designs on the sides of your box.

Blue design of a dragon with geometric patterns on the sides

Blue-and-white cardboard painted box with a dragon

Take a photo of your work and share it using #GardinerFromHome.

Details

Date:
August 23, 2020
Event Category:

Venue

Gardiner Museum
111 Queen's Park
Toronto, ON M5S 2C7 Canada
Phone
416-586-8080
View Venue Website

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The Gardiner Museum will close at 6 pm on Wednesday May 22 for the International Ceramic Art Fair Preview Gala.