Item No.: 1048
Name: An apple-green-glazed pear-shaped vase (yuhuchunping) with applied white lotus decoration
Period: Qing dynasty, Yongzheng reign
Height: 23.4 cm
The Ming statesman Yu Qian’s celebrated poem expresses a willingness to sacrifice life while preserving one’s integrity. The Chinese commentary suggests that this vase may give visual expression to that ideal: moral purity is valued above mere survival.
An even apple-green glaze covers the vase. Applied white decoration forms raised bands around the neck and two clusters of upright wild lotus on the lower body. The arrangement of one green ground and two white clusters plays on the expression yi qing er bai, meaning complete purity or innocence. Its simplicity conveys this meaning quietly and indirectly. The thin, translucent body further demonstrates the fineness of the porcelain and the care of its manufacture.