Lidded meiping vase with lotus decoration in underglaze blue, Ming dynasty, Yongle reign (1403-1424)

Lidded meiping vase with lotus decoration in underglaze blue, Ming dynasty, Yongle reign (1403-1424)

• Image Number: K1B011424N000000000PAB
• Dynasty: Ming dynasty
• Category: Ceramics
• Function: Container
• Material: Minerals/Ceramics/
• Description:
  This kind of bottle with small mouth, plump shoulders, introverted abdomen and shallow feet is called “plum vase”. Plum bottle is a kind of bottle created in the Northern Song Dynasty. It has been fired for thousands of years in the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. The plum vase in the Song Dynasty was long, slender and beautiful, with a small mouth and a curly outside. The plum vase in the Yuan Dynasty was tall and majestic, and its neck was often trapezoidal. The plum vase in the early Ming Dynasty was small in size, with round shoulders as its characteristics. The whole vase is decorated with colorful blue and white flowers, except that the bottom of the bottle is unglazed and exposed. The plum vase has a lid. On the shoulder of the vase, a circle of twig flowers and leaves is painted. On the abdomen, a twig lotus is decorated. Near the bottom, six groups of twig lotus are painted. The cover is long and outward, with calyx shaped buttons. Petal patterns are painted on it. Double hook Ruyi cloud head patterns are painted on the wall, and flowers are decorated on the gap. Plum bottles with lids are often used as wine vessels. From the detailed paintings, we can see that they are used as vases in Central and Western Asian society.