| Description |
Unlike the meiping vases of the Yuan dynasty, this piece has round, sloping shoulders and the body flares at the bottom. The inside of the base is carved out to make a thick foot ring. There is a lid with a knob in the shape of a sacred jewel that covers the upright mouth. The body, instead of the band decoration often seen on Yuan pieces, bears a five-clawed dragon and lingzhi fungus-shaped clouds painted in underglaze cobalt blue. The use of five-clawed dragon as a decoration has been strictly prohibited among common people since it had been stated as a symbol of the emperor during the Yuan dynasty. Shards with underglaze-blue designs of a similar dragon and lingzhi clouds have been discovered from the archaeological site of the Hongwu court of the Ming dynasty in Nanjing City, suggesting that this piece could have been one of the contemporary products made for the court. The shoulder bears an auspicious inscription chunshou (spring and longevity) in seal script. |
