Bottle vase, from the Wanli Imp period - Ming Dynasty - ovoid-shaped, with long neck, straight footing. Very thick blue-colored blanket that forms large drops towards the base. Undercover decoration in blue, in four reserves, representing, alternately, a leaping horse and a floral motif (peonies).
Prof. Ye Zhemin commented: 'Wanli; well painted jar, good workmanship, colors from the end of the dynasty'.
The Ming Dynasty is regarded as the golden age of blue and white porcelain (qinghua). In truth, in the course of it we can observe appreciable variations that occurred during the different kingdoms. These variations concern: the appearance of the paste and the blanket; the decorative style; the calligraphy of the imperial 'nianhao' mark and above all the shades of the blue pigment, which ranges from washed out and greyish blue to deep purplish blue.
In the Museum since 1963.
