Yuan‑Period Blue‑and‑White Meiping Vase With Dragon‑Among‑Clouds Motif

拍品描述

Dimensions: Mouth diameter 4.3 cm (1.69 in), total height 23.5 cm (9.25 in), 13th-14th century. Condition and Provenance: This plum vase is in excellent condition, without cracks. There are slight signs of aging around the rim. The cobalt blue pigment is rich and deep, and the glaze is well-preserved. The unglazed sandy base is covered with kiln sand, iron filings, and natural weathering. No modern restorations or repainting. This vase was acquired in 1998 from a Toronto antique dealer by a private collector in San Francisco, California, USA. The provenance label and historical photographs are in excellent condition. Description: This Yuan dynasty blue and white plum vase with dragon and cloud design is a classic wine vessel and display piece made in the Jingdezhen kilns. Its shape is typical of a plum vase, with a short neck, broad and full shoulders, a gradually tapering body, and an unglazed sandy base. The body is decorated with a majestic dragon soaring among auspicious cloud patterns. The dragon's muscular body, meticulously detailed scales, and sharp claws convey a strong sense of movement, all rendered with a free and unrestrained brushstroke—typical characteristics of Yuan Dynasty dragon motifs. The vase is covered in a bluish-white glaze, with cobalt blue pigment presenting a deep, dark blue hue, and exhibiting the rust-like spots characteristic of imported cobalt materials from the Yuan Dynasty. The coarse sand base exposes the loose body of the porcelain, naturally distributed with kiln sand and iron filings, authentically reflecting the production characteristics of Yuan Dynasty ceramics. In the Yuan Dynasty, the dragon motif symbolized imperial power, and the plum vase served both as a wine storage container and as interior decoration. Well-preserved Yuan Dynasty blue-and-white dragon-patterned plum vases are relatively rare, making them invaluable material for studying the production techniques of Jingdezhen blue-and-white porcelain and the aesthetic tastes of the time.

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