A blue and white meiping vase with broad rounded shoulders, a short neck and a tapering cover topped by a bud finial. The shoulder carries four lobed panels, each enclosing a flowering spray of peony, chrysanthemum or lotus. Below them, larger lobed panels on the body are painted with a feathery tree hung with berried vines beside rockwork, and with a pair of mandarin ducks swimming among lotus and reeds. All the panels are reserved on a ground of tightly drawn scrolls, and a band of lappets enclosing lotus sprays circles the lower body. The cover is painted with upright panels and trefoil motifs.
The glaze is a soft creamy white, and the foot and recessed base are unglazed, showing throwing rings and iron-red specks. One side of the vase is slightly distorted, and the cover has a small line. We attribute the vase to the early Ming dynasty.
Height 42 cm with cover, 38 cm without · Diameter 26 cm
Learn more: The Ming Dynasty
