Porcelain Crown

Porcelain Crown, is a vanitas painting that merges traditional symbols of mortality with elements of Chinese culture and a touch of parody. At the center is a fragmented human skull, its surface resembling delicate porcelain yet fractured and cracking, representing both beauty and fragility. Scattered around it are rotting pears, symbolizing the decay and fleeting nature of life. A crane skull—a creature often symbolizing longevity in Chinese culture—sits beside the human skull, its elegant form reminding viewers of the contrast between life’s idealized images and its inevitable end. Together, these elements create a haunting yet reflective narrative on mortality, identity, and the transience of beauty, drawing on both the vanitas tradition and Chinese artistic heritage.