Beautiful, Bountiful Nature

Cong Vase

• Jade (Re-carved and dyed in a later dynasty)
• Shierqiao culture (1250-650 BCE), Shang-Zhou dynasties

     Four-segment cong, an artifact from the Shierqiao Culture (1250-650 BCE) in Sichuan made of greenish white jade. In the late Ming or early Qing dynasty, it was stained with sienna and the corners were carved with the eye motifs. A pair of small circles represents a deity riding on a divine animal, which is symbolized by the larger circle. A metal inner liner with cloisonné lid was added during the Qianlong period which turned this cong into a vase. In addition, a poem the Qianlong Emperor written in the summer of 1748 was carved into the surface. The same poem was added to the bottom of the metal inlaid wooden stand, which expresses the inner peace he felt in the company of the flowers and the vese.

Mallet-shaped Vase

• Ru ware, celadon
• Song dynasty (960-1279)

     This mallet vase has a long slender neck, angular shoulders, and a broad converging belly. Its dark biscuit matches archeological finds from the Ru ware at the village of Qinglangsi in Henan. The vase is entirely coated with celadon glaze, and underneath there are five oval spur marks. Where the glaze is uneven, a rose-pink luster appears. Its original angular mouth was removed and the exposed biscuit was coated with a celadon glaze. Incised on the bottom is a poem by the Qjianlong emperor which shows his earnest admiration for an exquisite arrangement of flowers in a vase such as this.

     We can see examples of such vases in paintings; holding chrysanthemum as a simple studio decoration while peonies as respectful offering. The mallet vase owes its origin to glass bottles from Western Asia. Following their import into China during the late Northern Song, they were appropriated as flower vases during the Southern Song.

Narcissus Planter with Circular Flower Motifs

• Jingdezhen ware, celadon with famille-rose enamels
• Qianlong reign(1736-1784), Qing dynasty

     Wide flat narcissus basin with a broad rim, deep walls, and a flat base resting on four cloud-shaped feet. On the bottom are six seal script characters in underglaze blue, "Made in the Qianlong reign of the great Qing." The thick biscuit is coated with sky blue glaze and decorated with falangcai circular flowers. The design is varied and delightful, some realistic and some abstract. This is typical of circular flower motifs used during the Yongzhen and Qianlong reigns of Qing dynasty.

     The circular flower motif can be traced to the floral medallions of the Northern and Southern Song as well as the Sui and Tang dynasties. There is an example of such a floral medallion in the center of the caisson ceiling in the Mogao caves. However, some scholars think that the circular flower motif of the Qing dynasty is due to Japanese influence.

Vase with Openwork Design

• Jingdezheng ware, white galze
• 18^th century, Qing dynasty

　　      This vase has with a long neck topped with a flared opening and rounded shoulders leading into a converging body. The entire vase is decorated with pertforated flower motifs, which are covered with a thin layer of glaze. Once fired in the kiln, the opaque perforations appear crystalline and translucent. Such vessels had been used as vases since the Yuan dynasty.

     Xu Zhiheng (1877-1935) wrote in his early 19^th century book, Talk on Porcelain from Yinliu Studio (Yinliu Zhai Shuoci) that, "Porcelain with thin perforated walls is called linglongci." The motifs are created by connecting rice-size perforations, which is why it is also called rice grain patterned porcelain in Japan. This technique was already in use by the 12^th century in the Kashan kilns in Iran. However, it was not until after the Qianlong reign of Qing dynasty that such a technique was introduced to Jingdezhen in China.

Gourd-shaped Vase with Fu Lu Shou Motifs

• Jingdezhen ware, famille-rose enamels
• Qianlong reign (1736-1795), Qing dynasty

     This orange-red calabash vase is painted with brown melon vines, bluish-green palm-shaped leaves, tendrils, and five-petaled yellow flowers. Along the vines are cream-colored calabashes with brown spots on the surface. Red bats glide between, holding red ribbons in their mouths. A pink ribbon with a ruyi cloud motif is tied around the waist of the gourd. Such decor is likely an influence from Japan. The bat (fu) is a homophone for happiness, ribbon (shou) for longevity and the calabash for good fortune. The theme represents continuous happiness and longevity. On the bottom are six seal script characters reading "Made in the Qianlong reign of the Qing dynasty"

     In his Eight Discourses on a Heathy Lifestyle Gao Lian of the late Ming dynasty considered calabashes to be for medicine and not flowers. By the 5^th year of Yongzheng reign (1727) in the Qing dynasty, the emperor ordered the imperial workshop to make an arrangement of auspicious flowers and rice paper plants in a calabash vase to match the homophone of longevity in the name of the vase. From that time on calabash vases were commonly used for flower arrangement in the imperial court.

Flower Holder in the Shape of A Dragon Fish

• Jade
• 16^th-17^th centuries

     The smooth surface of this Greenish-white jade from Hetian has been carved into a fish with dragon's head. The mouth flares slightly, and the body is hollow. On the head of the fish are a pair of horns. Climbing along the belly is a small dragon. The dark patches on the fish's body, the small dragon's back and the curling whiskers are a sign that the original rough jade had a black surface, which has been cleverly used to add highlights to the lips, teeth, horns, fins and tail. The fish is jumping vigorously out of the water with its tail curled up and rooling waves underneath, matched by the wave motifs on the wooden stand. According to legend, the carp leaps out of the torrents of the Yellow River to jump through the "dragon gate" in order to transform into a dragon. This is an auspicious metaphor for ascending to a glorious stage in life. The hollow shape makes the object suitable for flower arrangement. During the Qing dynasty, imitation wares such as Jade Flower Holder in The Shape of Buddha’s hand citron were used as planters for artificial flowers made of gemstones. Carp with dragon heads still appear on the walls of historic building in southern China and Taiwan. In addition to being used as a vase, this creature was also considered to be a charm against fires.

Planter with Garden Scene and Daya Zhai Mark

• Jingdezhen ware, famille-rose enamels
• 1^st-2^ndyear of Guangxu period (1875-1876), Qing dynasty

     This rectangular planter with short straight walls and L-shaped feet has a thick body. There are twelve spur marks on the bottom from the support used to keep the base flat during firing. The interior glaze has mottled marks, which suggests substandard firing conditions. The exterior is painted with pastoral scenes of autumn in graduated black and grey. Bees, butterflies, ladybirds, and grasshoppers surround the blossoming chrysanthemum and budding radishes. The ink appears unmoistened, creating a subdued style preferred by the Dowager Empress Cixi. This coloration is a strong contrast against the yellow enamel. The catalogue of the imperial workshop indicates that the motifs represent the appreciation of the autumn harvest. Below the rim are the red characters, Daya Zhai, an oval seal script mark with a dragon frame that reads, Tiandi yijia chun (a spring of heaven) and Yongqing changchuun (eternal happiness and everlasting spring) written in crimson regular script.