Cocktails with a Curator: Chinese Porcelain Ladies

In this week’s episode of “Cocktails with a Curator,” Curator Aimee Ng looks closely at a pair of Chinese porcelain ladies made by an unidentified artist during the reign of the Kangxi Emperor (1662–1722). Currently on view in Frick Madison’s celebrated “Porcelain Room,” these colorful figures are among the most beloved decorative arts objects in the Frick’s collection and exemplify period ideals of female beauty, with manicured hands, lithe bodies, and lavish garments embellished with chrysanthemums. In recognition of this floral motif, this week’s complementary cocktail is the Chrysanthemum, a concoction of dry vermouth, Bénédictine, and absinthe. To view these porcelain figures in detail, please visit our website: https://www.frick.org/kangxiladies