This vase is made of fine porcelain painted in underglaze blue with three different scenes of people and animals. The symbolism of the painted designs would have been obscure to a 19th-century European audience, as at this time there was relatively little written in the West about China. The style of the decoration would, however, have been immediately recognisable as something from the exotic East. Commonly known as 'Chinese blue-and -white', vases like this were used to decorate the interiors of many British homes in the 19th century.

Chinese blue-and-white porcelain had been imported into Britain since the 16th century. Although by the 1870s it was no longer regarded as rare, it continued to feature prominently in interior design. Rooms were filled with blue and white porcelain of different shapes and sizes to create a sumptuous effect. Older pieces were displayed alongside newer products.