Bottle vase

This fine, imperial vase has a globular body painted with six different flower heads on leafy scrolling branches including lotus, peony, chrysanthemum, and camellia. There is a band of lappets and scrolls at the foot, a ju-i headband with keyfret encircling the shoulder and a leaf and wave band decorates the tall, flared neck. The painted decoration here is directly inspired by the blue-and-white porcelain of the early fifteenth century. Similar flower scrolls, lappet, ju-i, and wave bands can be found in the classic blue-and-white wares of the Yung-lo reign (1503-1524) of the Ming dynasty, a critical era in the evolution of Chinese blue-and-white. The early Ch'ing emperors encouraged the revival of earlier ceramic styles at the imperial kilns at Ching-te-chen. The brushwork of this exquisite vase successfully immitates the mottled heaped and piled effect of Ming period blue-and-white porcelain.