1480 A small blue-and-white water jar with five types of scrolling flowers and a Xuande mark

Item No.: 1480

Name: A small blue-and-white water jar with five types of scrolling flowers and a Xuande mark
Period: Ming dynasty, Xuande reign
Height: 7.0 cm; Approximate rim diameter: 7.8 cm

The Chinese catalogue compares this jar with a related example in the National Palace Museum, Taipei. It describes close correspondences in the cobalt pigment, form, decorative subjects, body, and glaze, while noting a difference in the location of the mark.

The rounded mouth and lower body turn inward around a swelling belly and shallow base. A single chrysanthemum spray within a double circle decorates the center of the interior. The inner wall is otherwise plain, with visible wheel-throwing marks. Scrolling lotus and leaves form a band beneath the outer rim, while peonies, camellias, hibiscus, roses, and other flowers decorate the body. Upright lotus petals and scrolling foliage ornament the lower edge.

The four decorative registers are separated by double blue lines. Fine pinhole-like depressions cover the surfaces, creating the texture commonly called an orange-peel glaze. The recessed base has a rich white glaze and a six-character “Da Ming Xuande nianzhi” mark in regular script within a double circle.