Ming Dynasty Blue-Ground Green-Glazed Incised Floral Double-Gourd Vase

拍品描述

Dimensions:Height 19cm (approximately 7.48in; 0.62ft); Ming Dynasty, approximately 14th–17th centuryCondition and Provenance:Overall in complete condition with the original profile well preserved. The glazed surface displays fine natural craquelure and age-related wear, with minor old wear around the mouth rim. The unglazed base shows natural abrasion, staining, and traces associated with long-term handling and display. From a private collection in New York State, USA; entered an overseas private collection during the 20th century.Description:This Ming Dynasty double-gourd vase presents a visually compelling combination of a deep blue ground and contrasting green-glazed incised floral decoration. The vessel is shaped in the classic double-gourd form, beginning with a small mouth and short upright neck that expands into a compact pear-shaped upper bulb, sharply drawn inward at the waist before opening into a broad and generously rounded lower body supported on a circular foot. At 19cm in height, the vase has an intimate yet highly decorative scale, with the smaller upper bulb providing vertical lift and the fuller lower section giving the piece a substantial, well-balanced presence. The exterior is covered in a rich, saturated blue glaze that provides a dramatic background for an extensive continuous design of scrolling flowers, leafy stems, and curling tendrils highlighted in turquoise-green glaze. The contrast between the deep blue field and luminous green decoration is particularly striking, giving the vessel a bold graphic quality that remains distinctly rooted in the Chinese decorative tradition. Large blossoms serve as visual anchors throughout the composition, connected by vigorously scrolling stems that sweep across the rounded surface in continuous S-curves and tightly curled terminals. The decoration on the upper bulb follows the narrower vertical contours of the form, while the larger lower bulb allows the floral scrolls to expand into a broader, more elaborate arrangement. The incised outlines clearly define the petals, leaves, and scrolling stems, adding a subtle relief-like quality beneath the glaze and giving the ornament greater depth when viewed from different angles. Across the surface is a fine network of natural craquelure, especially visible within the green floral passages. These closely spaced crackle lines create an attractive web-like texture and contribute significantly to the aged character of the glaze. The blue ground also varies naturally in tone across the curved body, shifting from deep navy and cobalt to softer areas where the glaze thins or pools around the incised decoration. The mouth and interior reveal a pale glazed body, producing a sharp and attractive contrast with the strongly colored exterior. Near the neck and shoulder is an old ink or collection mark, a surviving trace associated with the vessel’s history of ownership and handling. The underside is broadly unglazed, exposing the pale ceramic body with naturally accumulated abrasion, staining, and age-related surface marks, while the surrounding foot continues the blue-and-green scrolling ornament. The double-gourd has long been one of the most recognizable auspicious forms in Chinese decorative art, traditionally associated with fortune, prosperity, longevity, abundance, and continuing generations. Those associations are reinforced here by the uninterrupted scrolling floral vines, whose continuous growth suggests flourishing life and enduring prosperity. With its compact 19cm scale, strongly modeled double-gourd silhouette, saturated blue ground, vivid turquoise-green floral decoration, incised detailing, and richly textured crackled surface, this vase has the immediate visual impact and decorative character highly prized in Chinese ceramic display pieces.

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