Vase with Plum Blossoms Maker: Unknown

17th–early 18th century

Asian Art

On view, 2nd floor, Asian Art

The burgeoning plum blossoms that cover the exterior of this vase are harbingers of spring; plums are the earliest to flower after the end of the winter frost, and their ephemeral beauty is often cited in Chinese literature and poetry. The delicate blossoms are rendered in reserve, a challenging method in which only the blue background is painted, leaving spaces where the white clay is visible and creating the shape of the flowers.

Medium

Porcelain with cobalt blue under clear glaze

Dimensions

16 5/8 × 8 1/2 in. (42.2 × 21.6 cm)
Diameter at Base: 5 1/4 in. (13.3 cm)

Credit Line

Hobart and Edward Small Moore Memorial Collection, Bequest of Mrs. William H. Moore

Accession Number

1955.4.143

Geography

China

Culture

Chinese

Period

Qing dynasty (1644–1911), Kangxi period (1662–1722)

Classification

Containers

Disclaimer

Note: This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect the Yale University Art Gallery’s complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of records is ongoing.

Provenance
Henry Sampson Collection; Dreicer and Co., New York, 1915; Bequest of Mrs. William H. Moore (1858–1955), New York; Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Conn.
Bibliography
  • Susan B. Matheson, Art for Yale: A History of the Yale University Art Gallery (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Art Gallery, 2001), 80, 82, fig. 71
  • Handbook of the Collections, exh. cat. (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Art Gallery, 1992), 295, ill
  • Maggie Bickford and Mimi Gardner Gates, Bones of Jade, Soul of Ice : the Flowering Plum in Chinese Art (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Art Gallery, 1985), no. 69
  • George J. Lee, Selected Far Eastern Art in the Yale University Art Gallery (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1970), 29, no. 43, ill
Object copyright
No Copyright - United States
Additional information

Object/Work type

vases

Technical metadata and APIs

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