A large porcelain jar of globular form with a short upright neck and a domed cover. The body is carved in deep relief with large fish swimming through lotus: their scaled bodies in blue, their fins and tails in coral red, their heads with bared teeth, whiskers and beaded eyes. Between them rise lotus leaves, flowers and seed pods, the leaves in blue and the petals touched with pink. The neck is carved with waves, and the cover with more lotus leaves in blue, rising to a round red bud finial. The three colours are set against a creamy white ground, and the glaze pools thickly in the hollows of the carving.
The inside of the jar is glazed plain, showing throwing rings on the floor, and the underside of the cover is plain cream. The flat base is unglazed. We attribute the jar to the Ming dynasty.
Learn more: The Ming Dynasty
