Museum

This slender neck of this vessel takes its name from resemblance to the thin branches of a plum tree. The interior is glazed white while the exterior is decorated with blue painting of sparrows perching face-to-face on wintery tree branches. The design is sparse and elegant while the painting is lifelike and natural.

The vase has a name “backgammon zun vase” for its resemblance to the backgammon chess piece. It is used for dispalying floweres. The exterior is decorated with kui-phoenix designs in underglaze cobalt blue. The elegant and exquisite colors are typical of ceramics of the Yongzheng reign. This is considered a masterpiece of that era.

Symmetrical dragon ears adorn either side of the neck of this vase. The interior has white glaze while the exterior is painted with floral clouds and a dragon design. The strong and ferocious dragon emerges through the fiery clouds hovering above the ocean. The brushwork is fine and fluid. The composition shifts from ornate to simple, which is typical of the ornamental style of the Qianlong to Jiaqing transitional era.

The interior of this zun is glazed white and the exterior is painted in blue. Sections of the neck and stomach are adorned with dragons amid flowers and plants of the four seasons. Motifs of waves, rectangular spirals, and ruyi-secpter clouds are interspersed. The mark on the foot of the vase indicates the vase was made between 1723 and 1735.

The word for gourd, hulu, sounds like the words “fortune” and “wealth” (fu lu), thereby giving this vase its auspicious associations. The interior of this gourd-shape vase is glazed white with a blue-and-white exterior. The lower stomach is decorated with the design of “Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea”. Each immortal stands on an auspicious cloud and rides it across the sea.

This type of tricolor glaze was specific to the Kangxi era. Apart from the underglaze red and cobalt blue that are commonly seen, bean-green is added to intensify the image. The combination creates a beautiful multicolored effect.

The exterior of the brushholder is decorated with two main groups of motifs. The rocks, chrysanthemums, peonies and butterflies form a rebus that predicts an auspicious outcome of passing the civil service examinations. The other group of images centers on a magpie perching on a plum tree, which symbolizes happiness. This brushholder has a solid shape, even glaze, with the slightly under-developed red glaze actually adding to the appeal of the vessel.

This vessel is also called a “deer head zun” because its shape resembles an inverted deer head. Its shape is full and dignified. The shoulder and stomach join smoothly and two pierced-carved dragon-shaped ears adorn either side of the vessel. It is decorated with interlocking lotus pattern painted in red and cobalt blue under the transparent glaze layer. This vessel exemplifies high quality Yongzheng-era porcelain.

This spherical vase is an innovation of the Xuande era. Its body is large and straight, imposing and firm, with a simple and unassuming shape. The name of the vessel corresponds with its shape, its interior is glazed white and its exterior is decorated with dragons in clouds emerging from the sea painted in cobalt blue and red under the transparent glaze. This type of vessel is often seen among Qianlong imperially-produced porcelain.

This type of vessel derives its name from its resemblance to a traditional clothes-washing mallet. The interior of the “mallet vase” is glazed white and the exterior is polychromed. The subject matter of the painting is a battle from The Romance of the Sui-Tang, in which Qin Shubao battles Yu Chigong. Commonly called “swords-horses-men”, this subject matter was frequently depicted in Kangxi-era ceramics.

Kangxi-era polychrome best embodies the craftsmanship and characteristics of polychrome porcelain. This vessel‘s shape is simple and dignified. It embodies stylistic traits of its time, and in addition is an imitation of earlier, Ming dynasty style. The vase is decorated with auspicious symbols of rocks, pheasants, and peonies. Because the seal on the foot includes “Great Ming”, a designation that was not used in seals on Ming dynasty ceramics, it is clear that this work is an imitation.

The interior of the brushholder is glazed white while the exterior is decorated in polychrome on a blue ground. The painting depicts the God of Literature holding a magical brush in his right hand and a silver ingot in his left hand. He stands on a plum tree stump as if about to run. The words for “brush” and “necessary” are both pronounced bi while words for “ingot” and “certainly” are both pronounced ding. The objects held by the God of Literature thereby create the rebus “victory without fail” (bi…

The plate is entirely glazed in white. The interior is decorated with a banana plant, rocks, chrysanthemums, a scholar, and his young student. The scholar sits beside the rock while giving a lesson to the boy. The exquisite brushwork imbues the piece with elegance. Because the seal on the foot includes “Great Ming”, a designation that was not used in seals for Ming dynasty ceramics, it is clear that this plate is an imitation.

The bowl is glazed white with a polychrome painting of Wang Xizhi gazing contemplatively at two geese in the river while a servant carrying his books stands behind him. The figures are vividly painted with exquisite brushwork. The inscription on the foot indicates the bowl was produced in the Yongzheng era (1723-1735).

On the white ground, the pot is decorated with pomegranate flowers in “contrasting colors”. The composition of the two symmetrical groups of pomegranate blossoms are sparse, concise and lively.

The “contrasting color” design integrates underglaze cobalt blue and overglaze enamels. First, the cobalt blue pigment is applied to the unadorned body of the vessel as a rough sketch, then applied with a clear glaze and fired at a high temperature. The verglaze enamels are then applied on top and the vessel is fired again at a low temperature. The interior of the tripod is glazed white while the exterior is decorated with a interlocking lotus and chrysanthemum design. The inscription at the bottom indicates a Yongzheng era of production.

The popularity of the gourd-shape vase comes from the similarity between the Chinese words hulu (gourd) and fu lu (happiness and prosperity). This vase is decorated in “contrasting colors” with decor of lotus pattern with red bats and the character for longevity (shou), a combination that symbolizes prosperity and longevity.

Jizhou kiln is located in Ji’an, Jiangxi province. The glaze resembles tortoise shell. To make a tortoise-shell glazed vessel, craftsmen firstly applied a layer of glaze rich in ferric oxide all over the vessel and then randomly sprinkled another glaze low in ferric oxide over the previous one. When fired, the two glazes mingled to form unpredicted patterns. Primarily in the shapes of vase, jar, incense burner, and bowl, tortoise-shell glaze vessels are common products of the Jizhou kiln.

Yixing kiln is located in Yixing, Jiangsu province. A rectangular opening adorns either side of the teapot. One side bears an inscription dated 1751; the other side bears a slip painting on tea preparation. This teapot is innovative in style and exquisitely crafted for imperial use.

Yixing Kiln is located in Yixing, Jiangsu province. Made in Yixing kilns in imitations of the Jun wares of the Song dynasty (960-1279), Yijun wares are actually sky-blue glazed zisha vessels. With sky-blue glaze and tiny crackles on the surface, this vase has a goose-shaped spout with the opening on the gooseneck.

Yixing kiln is located in Yixing, Jiangsu province.  The lid of this jar is decorated with the characters for “pearl” and “orchid” (zhu lan). A slip painting of four wild geese in flight, calling, eating or sleeping decorates the canister body. The clay is highly refined while the form is solid and balanced. This tea canister was exclusively made for the imperial court.

Yixing Kiln is located in Yixing, Jiangsu province Made in Yixing kilns in imitations of the Jun wares of the Song dynasty (960-1279), Yijun wares are actually sky-blue glazed zisha vessels. This zun vessel was designed after the ancient bronze ware. It is comparable to those manufactured at the Song dynasty Jun kilns. The wide mouth suggests that it can be used to hold flowers.

  Guanyin is the name of the Bodhisattva of Mercy. According to tradition, a person in peril only had to recite Guanyin‘s name for the Bodhisattva to come to the aid of the sincere believer. The Guanyin cult was understandably popular. The body of this bowl is decorated with the image of Guanyin on one side; the other side has 112 characters of the Guanyin Sutra in regular script. The inscription indicates that this bowl was produced in 1616.

The exterior of this jar has blue-and-white decoration showing an episode from The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. In this scene, treasures are presented to Lü Bu to convince him to surrender. Following Dong Zhuo’s instructions, Li Su carries an assortment of luxury goods including a winged steed name Chi Tu, gold, jewels, and a jade belt to Lü Bu’s military encampment in Luoyang to persuade Lü Bu to surrender. The figures are vividly painted in rich cobalt pigment. This jar is an outstanding example of Chongzhen-era blue-and-white ware.

This blue-and-white plate commemorates the promotion of an official. It depicts an official under a canopy, about to receive an official‘s cap. This scene is a rebus for the auspicious meaning, “promotion into the ranks of nobility” (sheng guan jin jue). As indicated by an inscription in the unpainted area, this plate was commissioned in 1658 by Wang Ying of the Zhao region of Jiangxi province as a present for a friend.

The body of this elegant vase is decorated in cobalt blue with the following scenes: “the happiness of fishermen”, “lofty scholar”, “drinking on the river”, and “playing the qin instrument in the company of friends”. According to an inscription, the vase was produced in 1690 of the Qing dynasty. This type of vessel is also called “square mallet vase”, one of the innovative wares unique to the Kangxi reign.

In Chinese ceramics, “Five colors” means “polychrome” and refers to porcelain with multicolored glazes always including red. Polychromed ceramics are generally divided into two major groups: over-glaze and blue-and-white. This unusual dish in the shape of a crabapple blossom has a polychrome painting of a small boat on a river. This type of porcelain ware is characteristic of its time, crabapple-blossom-shaped decorated porcelains were frequently produced for export to Japan.

In Chinese ceramics, “Five colors” means “polychrome” and refers to porcelain with multicolored glazes always including red. Polychromed ceramics are generally divided into two major groups: over-glaze and blue-and-white. The body of the zun is entirely decorated in blue-and-white and polychrome with images of mountains and rocks, flowers, pheasants, chickens, peonies, and other designs. The form of this thick-walled vessel is simple and and its colors varied. The décor is characteristic of traditional Chinese bird-and-flower painting.

Both the interior and exterior of the vase are glazed in white. The exterior polychrome painting of irregular rocks and cymbidian orchids. The shoulder of the vase is undecorated except for three red seal script characters: “Hundred Flowers Study”, which is the name of a hall found only on Shunzhi era porcelain.

This jar was made by the Yu kiln and presented to the Kangxi Emperor in celebration of his birthday. Its body is covered in a blue-on-white pattern comprised of a total of 10,000 Chinese characters for “longevity” (shou), which signifies the auspicious wish, “May you attain boundless longevity”. The shou characters are neatly arranged both vertically and horizontally. The script changes according to the contours of the vessel in a smooth and natural way, demonstrating the artisan‘s fine craftsmanship.

The exterior of the basin is decorated in blue-and-white style. Auspicious images of pines, rocks, waves, rising sun, clouds and bats adorn the walls of the pot. The pine tree symbolizes longevity while the character for “bat”, fu, is a homonym of the character for “good fortune”. The entire picture incorporates the idea of auspiciousness. This large pot was likely made in the late Kangxi era by the Jingdezhen Yu kiln in commemoration of the emperor‘s birthday.

Dehua Kiln is located in Dehua, Fujian province The Dehua kiln complex is celebrated for white porcelain wares that are characterized by fine quality and perfectly fused biscuit and glaze. The zun vessel has two elephant ears and shows an ivory luster. It is an outstanding Dehua ware of the Ming dynasty.

The glaze is evenly applied and shows rich and bright red color. Exemplifying the Yuan dynasty dragon images, the dragons portrayed on the ewer have thin necks and long snouts. This pear-shaped ewer was a new type created in Jingdezhen in the Yuan dynasty. The elegantly small size indicates that it should be a piece of tableware.

This single handled pot is one of the best porcelain in early Khitan Liao dynasty. Porcelain wares in Liao dynasty could be divided into two styles–China proper style and Khitan style. The China proper style vessels are wares commonly seen in China proper, including cups, bowls, plates, dishes, pots, jars, and vases; while the Khitan style porcelain wares encompass long-neck vases, phoenix-head vases, drumstick vases, vases with washer-shaped mouth, and cockscomb vases. The two styles also inspired from each other thanks to the increased ethnic communication.

The vase has the roundness of a water drop about to fall. Its long neck flares from the lower part to the top and ends up with a clearly-defined rim. The vase is coated with moon-white glaze, except for the foot ring and the rim. The foot ring is glazed in dark reddish brown, while at the rim the color of the clay is exposed due to the glaze pulling away. Located in central China’s Henan province, the Jun kiln complex is one of the five famous kiln complexes in…

Guang Kiln is located in Foshan, Guangdong province. Guang wares are notably characterized by fine clay bodies and glaze imitating that of the Jun wares of the Song dynasty. The washer takes the form of a catalpa leaf. It is used for washing writing brushes.

Black paint beneath the yellow glaze shows a different style with Cizhou vessels. During the Song, Jin (265-420), and Yuan (1271-1368) dynasties, prunus vases were produced in large quantity in kilns of north China, including Cizhou kiln in Hebei province and Jiexiu kiln in Shanxi province. As a wine container, this vase is unique with its yellow-and-black decoration.

This vase imitating a Ge vessel has blackish-grey lines criss-crossing the surface, creating a beautiful and dynamic pattern on an otherwise smooth surface. Three black goat designs are attached to the lower portion of the vase, all different in posture. The word for sheep, yang, is homonymous with the yang in Yin-Yang theory and symbolizes the brightness and vitality of spring. Chinese people often use the expression “the spring comes in full form” (san yang kai tai) to express auspiciousness and prosperity in the new year.

This vase imitates the form of a conch with great success. Its interior wall is smooth and glossy while its exterior walls bear famillie rose decoration. Vases that resemble animals and plants were made specifically for decoration at the imperial court. This work is among the best of the Qianlong-era.

From its straight mouth, this ewer flares out to a wide stomach, which gracefully terminates in a narrow, slightly upturned foot. The long curve of the spout on one side is off set by the flat handle on the other side. The round lid is flat on top. This beautiful-shaped ewer looks very harmonious with the well-proportioned spout and handle. It is thin on the upper part and full on the lower part with an even, softly lustrous, and elegant glaze. This ewer exemplifies the best of the Longquan wares….

The mouth of the bowl slightly flares out. The bowl is white inside but on the exterior it is painted with spectacular landscape scenery in blue enamel glaze. Opposite to the pictorial design is a couplet in ink that may be translated as follows: A single color of jade encircles the southern mountain, Boundless green surrounds the deep green sea. The couplet is preceded by a seal reading “old and archaic” (shou gu) and ends with two others, reading “the mountain is high” (shan gao) and “the river is long”…

Northern Qi dynasty (550-577) The wine vessel has a slightly flared mouth, long neck, bulging body and high foot ring. There are six bands around the shoulders and neck and altogether 11 tiers of decoration on the whole vessel. The three tiers of decoration on the neck are those of celestials, rosette and animal-mask designs and coiled dragons separated by bands of bowstring design. The principal part of the decoration on the body is formed by six tiers of designs of inverted and non-inverted lotus petals. The base is also…

This vase with a straight mouth, drooping shoulders, round body that gradually contracts and a foot ring is covered with white glaze. A picture of pine, bamboo and plum, known as “three friends of winter,” is painted over the white glaze. The hardy pine, straight bamboo and elegant plum flowers, relieved by green leaves, are painted in graceful and detailed brush strokes. The vase is an excellent object made by the government kiln during the Yongzheng period. The seven black characters above the picture mean “Spring stays permanently in the…

This bowl, with a tapering body and a foot ring, has four blue characters in regular script (kai shu) indicating that it was made in the Yongzheng era. Its inside wall is covered with pure white glaze. The outside is decorated with a pheasant, peony blossoms and an ink poetic inscription. The visually arresting painting depicts a male pheasant with brilliant tail searching for food among the flowers and rocks. The bowl has elegant colors and excellent painting techniques. Inscribed on the outside is a two-line poem in cursive script…

In the form of a mallow blossom with six petals, this flowerpot has a trumpet mouth with emphatic rim, large stomach, and a foot ring. Both the interior and the rim of the mouth are glazed light blue, while the exterior is rose purple. The edges of the mouth and foot are covered with a thin brown glaze. The foot has five draining holes, and the number seven (qi) indicating the size of the flowerpot. The Qing artist also carved on the foot two inscriptions reading “Palace of Established Happiness…