A large blue and white porcelain vase from a folk kiln, painted in the manner of Yuan dynasty wares. A lattice band circles the flared mouth, and the wide neck is painted with tall pointed leaves on a dark ground. A peony scroll circles the shoulder. The body holds four lobed panels: a peacock with spread wings among flowers, a qilin galloping among bamboo and rocks, a fish among water plants, and a second qilin with open mouth among flowering stems; flower sprays fill the spaces between them. Below a lattice band, the waisted lower body is painted with fish, crabs, geese and cranes among water plants in panels above waves, and the flared foot with a ring of petal panels.
The glaze has an overall crackle. The base is glazed and painted in underglaze blue with a conch shell, within an unglazed foot ring. We attribute the vase to the late Ming to early Qing dynasty; see our guide to Ming folk kiln porcelain.
Learn more: The Ming Dynasty
