Vase with lotus and dragon decoration in underglaze blue, Ming dynasty, Yongle reign (1403-1424)-China Archive

Image Number: K1B012547N000000000PAB
Dynasty: Ming dynasty
Category: Ceramics
Function: Container
Material: Minerals/Ceramics/
Description:
The mouth is wide, the neck is straight, the belly is round, the flat bottom is slightly concave, and there is no foot. The celestial sphere bottle is named because it looks like a star in the sky. The shape of the bottle was created by the Yongle official kiln. Draw a circle of flower patterns along the mouth edge, add two green lines on the top and bottom respectively, draw a round belly full of three claws of a dragon, open your mouth, spit out, expose your teeth, open your eyes, stride forward, the dragon body is covered with scales, and is strong and vigorous. Bottleneck and gap are painted with lotus patterns. The blue and white flowers are bright and dense, with brown green spots or iron brown crystal defects in many places, and blue spots. The white glaze is green, especially the inner wall. The fetal bone is thick, with the bottom exposed. It is firm, delicate and orange red. There are three indirect marks on the shoulder and abdomen. During the reign of Yongle and Xuande in the Ming Dynasty, large-scale objects, such as celestial sphere bottles and flat pots, were widely fired. Dragon patterns and flower patterns were the most common patterns. Yongle celestial sphere bottle is characterized by its magnificent and exquisite shape and patterns.