Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Ceramics, Room 137, The Curtain Foundation Gallery

Vase

second quarter of 18th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Rounded, flattened 'moonflask' with scroll handles connecting neck with shoulder. Thick, square, neat, unglazed footring. With a bluish-white lustrous glaze, and painted on one side with a flaming red orb of the sun above blue waves (the sun signifying yang and the water and mists yin), and with cloud scrolls above in blue. On the other side an underglaze blue peach (signifying longevity) takes the place of the sun. Although the designs are not typical, many other features of the vase point to its being an archaising piece in early Ming style. The blue painting is stippled with dots to simulate the 'heaped and piled' effect produced by the precipitation of excess cobalt which occurs on Yuan and early Ming ceramics.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Porcelain painted in underglaze blue and copper red
Brief description
Moonflask, porcelain painted in underglaze blue and copper red; China (Jingdezhen), Qing dynasty, second quarter of 18th century
Physical description
Rounded, flattened 'moonflask' with scroll handles connecting neck with shoulder. Thick, square, neat, unglazed footring. With a bluish-white lustrous glaze, and painted on one side with a flaming red orb of the sun above blue waves (the sun signifying yang and the water and mists yin), and with cloud scrolls above in blue. On the other side an underglaze blue peach (signifying longevity) takes the place of the sun. Although the designs are not typical, many other features of the vase point to its being an archaising piece in early Ming style. The blue painting is stippled with dots to simulate the 'heaped and piled' effect produced by the precipitation of excess cobalt which occurs on Yuan and early Ming ceramics.
Dimensions
  • Height: 30cm
Style
Marks and inscriptions
Six-character mark of Xuande reign period in blue on the base
Credit line
Given by Professor E. V. Lee
Production
Register
Subjects depicted
Bibliographic reference
Ayers, John. "Painted and polychrome porcelains of the Ch'ing dynasty" in Chinese ceramics: (Catalogue of) The Baur Collection. Genève, (rue Munier-Romilly 8): [s.n.], 1968-1974, Vol. IV, A531.
Collection
Accession number
FE.57-1982

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Record createdJune 25, 2009
Record URL
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