NANCHANG, July 13 -- and-white porcelain has long served as a bridge between civilizations, influencing art across continents and continuing to inspire cultural exchanges today.

Italian Renaissance painter Giovanni Bellini highlighted three pieces of blue-and-white porcelain in his final masterpiece, The Feast of the Gods. Chinese historian Yan Chongnian said a vessel in the painting closely resembles porcelain unearthed at the imperial kiln site in Jingdezhen, east China's Jiangxi Province. Weng Yanjun, head of the Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Institute, said the porcelain not only decorates the mythical feast scene but also reflects historical exchanges between civilizations.

As porcelain imports to Europe increased and still-life paintin...