Dragon and Phoenix Vase (Meiping), c. 1430
Unknown artist, Chinaexpand_more
Porcelain with incised and cobalt blue painted décor under a clear glazeexpand_more
Gift of Ruth and Bruce Daytonexpand_more 2002.126.1
On View in Gallery 217expand_more
The entire body of this extraordinary vessel serves as a ground for a magnificently painted composition dominated by a dragon on one side and a phoenix on the other, each reserved in white, against a blue ground. The features of both creatures are carefully incised as are the white reserve clouds, which appear to drift through a deep blue sky. The artist applied cobalt blue unsparingly. Piled thickly in places, it attains the highly prized, richly mottled effect known as "heaped and piled." This occurs through the eruptions of naturally occurring iron-oxide impurities in the cobalt during firing. The vertically placed dragon and phoenix appearing on opposite sides of the vessel are unprecedented and known only in this example.
Details
- Title
- Dragon and Phoenix Vase (Meiping)
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 2002.126.1
- Curator Approved
This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
Does something look wrong with this image? Let us know
Zoom in on the left to the detail you'd like to save. Click 'Save detail' and wait until the image updates. Right click the image to 'save image as' or copy link, or click the image to open in a new tab.