Ming dynasty, 15th century
In a garden surrounded by lingzhi-shaped clouds, a refined scene of literati pursuing an elegant lifestyle adorns this blue-and-white gourd-shaped vase. The vase has a constricted mouth, a slightly tapered straight neck, and a waist dividing its pear-shaped upper body from the flattened spherical lower body. The base is slightly recessed, revealing a grayish-white body fired with a white sand support. The glaze is elegant and understated, with lotus and abstract lotus motifs decorating the neck, waist, and foot. On the upper body, a large area depicts swirling lingzhi clouds enveloping a pavilion and ancient pines, with a reserved panel illustrating a scene of scholars burning incense and playing Chinese lute. The lower body similarly shows lingzhi clouds surrounding a pavilion and the sky, with clusters of bamboo, lake rocks, chrysanthemums, and old trees dividing the space into three scenes of scholars playing go, writing calligraphy, and painting. The scholars are depicted gracefully, accompanied by attendants preparing ink or serving tea, creating a lively yet refined atmosphere.
During the early and mid-Ming dynasty, the four refined arts of the literati—music, go, calligraphy, and painting—were popular among both scholars and noblewomen. They were seen as a means of personal cultivation. The Toguri Museum of Art in Tokyo, Japan houses a jar featuring noblewomen engaging in these four arts, while the Victoria and Albert Museum in the United Kingdom has a large jar showing literati engaging in the same activities. Both display extensive lingzhi cloud motifs as a shared feature. 1996 archaeological evidence from the southern slope of Zhushan at the Jingdezhen imperial kiln site shows that similar blue-and-white story motifs with lingzhi clouds were found in strata dating from the Zhengtong, Jingtai, and Tianshun periods (1436–1464) of the Ming dynasty.