Yuan Dynasty Underglaze Blue and Copper-Red Meiping with Fish and Aquatic Plants

拍品描述

Dimensions: Height 42.5 cm (approximately 16.73 in); Yuan Dynasty, 13th–14th centuryCondition and Provenance: Overall in well-preserved condition, with the mouth, short neck, broad shoulder, body, and base retaining their complete overall form. The glaze shows naturally aged surface character, including light wear and minor traces consistent with long-term handling and display. The underglaze-blue and copper-red decoration remains clearly visible, with natural variation in the tone and intensity of the copper-red areas. The broad unglazed base shows visible potting and finishing marks, old staining, earthen accretions, and age-related wear. From a private collection in California, United States, with a history of family ownership overseas.Description: This large-format meiping has the commanding proportions and strong visual presence associated with monumental Chinese display ceramics. The vessel is formed with a small mouth, a slightly everted lip, a short neck, broad rounded shoulders, and a body that gradually narrows toward the foot. The silhouette is powerful and architectural, with the weight concentrated through the upper body before tapering into a more restrained lower section. At 42.5 cm in height, the piece has substantial scale and would have been visually impressive even before its decoration was taken into account. The surface is organized into multiple decorative registers using both underglaze cobalt blue and copper red. Around the upper shoulder, a series of framed panels contains auspicious motifs painted in copper red, each separated by neatly drawn cobalt-blue borders. Directly below is a broad scrolling-lotus band in which large copper-red blossoms are connected by curling blue stems and foliage. The alternation between red floral heads and blue vines creates a bold color rhythm and establishes a rich decorative transition into the principal scene below. The main body is devoted to a continuous fish-and-aquatic-plant composition. Several fish swim through a dense underwater setting of long grasses, floating plants, lotus pods, rounded aquatic forms, and curling stems. One fish is rendered with a broad body and carefully articulated scale pattern, while another is shown with a more elongated profile and a prominent spiny dorsal fin. Their bodies are painted primarily in copper red, immediately separating them from the surrounding aquatic vegetation, which is largely executed in cobalt blue. The result is a lively red-against-blue contrast that gives the fish strong visual prominence and creates the impression of movement through water. Tall blue grasses rise vertically through the center of the composition, their long pointed leaves drawn in repeated strokes that create both structure and rhythm. Smaller floating plants and rounded pods are scattered throughout the field, while curling tendrils and wave-like forms suggest an active underwater environment rather than a static pattern. The fish move laterally across the vessel, while the grasses rise vertically, creating a particularly effective cross-directional composition. This interplay gives the decoration a much more animated character than a simple repeated floral design. The copper-red passages range naturally from reddish brown to deeper iron-toned red, with some areas appearing stronger and others softer. That tonal variation is visually important because copper red is highly sensitive to kiln conditions and often develops unevenly during firing. Combined with the cobalt blue, the result is a complex and highly decorative underglaze palette with considerable depth. Below the principal scene, a narrow band of scrolling or wave-like ornament creates a clear visual break before the lower register. Near the foot is a sequence of elongated petal-shaped panels outlined in cobalt blue, each containing a stylized copper-red auspicious motif. These vertically arranged panels visually anchor the composition and mirror the framed ornament around the shoulder, giving the vessel a carefully structured top-to-bottom decorative system. The neck and the immediate area below the mouth are left comparatively plain, allowing the white glaze to serve as visual breathing space above the densely painted shoulder. The glaze itself has a soft bluish-white cast and a naturally mellow surface. The underside is broadly unglazed, revealing a substantial ceramic body with circular potting and finishing marks. Old staining, deposits, and wear across the base contribute to the vessel’s long-held appearance and reinforce the contrast between the refined glazed surface and the more utilitarian character of the foot. The fish-and-water-plant theme has long carried especially favorable associations in Chinese decorative art. Because the word for fish, yu, is associated phonetically with abundance, fish imagery is commonly connected with prosperity, surplus, fertility, and the wish for plenty year after year. When combined with freely growing aquatic plants, the imagery also suggests vitality, continuity, and a flourishing natural world. From an American collecting standpoint, this vessel has immediate impact because it combines several qualities collectors respond to strongly: substantial scale, a highly recognizable meiping silhouette, a narrative aquatic subject, and the dramatic pairing of cobalt blue with copper red. The red fish stand out immediately against the blue grasses and floating plants, while the layered shoulder and foot borders give the piece an architectural sense of order. Whether viewed at close range for the painted details or from across a room for its overall silhouette and color balance, the vessel functions as both a historical ceramic form and a visually powerful display object.

图片