Item No.: 1207
Name: A blue-and-white cylindrical vase with swallows announcing good news
Period: Ming dynasty, Chongzhen reign
Height: 44.2 cm
The cylindrical vase was a common form during the Chongzhen reign, and themes of promotion and advancement often appeared in its blue-and-white decoration. Here an official messenger presents a seal to a household servant.
The newly promoted master does not appear in the scene. Instead, the painter conveys the joyful news indirectly through the gestures and expressions of the servant, the mistress and maids waiting on a bridge, and the swallows passing through the clouds. Their reactions create the atmosphere of a household receiving welcome news.