Twin Vase with Floral Designs in Enamels over Rouge-red and Blue Ground

The vase is composed by two portions. On the rouge-red and blue grounds, a pattern of flowering branches was created by a metal tool press-rolled on a glazed surface. “Rolled designs” (ya dao) was an innovation of the Qianlong era. This vase also has copper enameling. This kind of craftsmanship is very time consuming. Official court records show that this type of vessel was called “adding flowers to brocade” or “silk tree vase”.