Porcelain from the Jingdezhen kilns 景德鎮窯, Jiangxi Province 江西省, Ming dynasty 明代 (1368-1644).
The fahua 法華 “enamelled decoration” style is based on cloisonne enamelling on bronze. The designs are outlined in applied porcelain cloisons with incised details, and coloured in turquoise, amber yellow, and white alkaline glazes on a deep purplish-blue ground. These cavities are then filled with coloured watery glazes, similar to those found in sancai 三彩, and applied directly on biscuit.
Jar with peacock design 法華孔雀紋罐
Ming dynasty, late 15th c.
CB-CC-1949-151
The emperor awarded a peacock feather to the most deserving of his mandarins, who would then proudly display it on their hats.Peach-shaped ewer with turquoise and purple glazes 兩只法華釉桃形倒灌壺
Ming dynasty, late 17th c.
CB-CC-1934-220
These ewers were designed to contain wine and include an ingenious filling mechanism. The pot is filled through a ceramic tube in the base, and the liquid remains trapped inside when the vessel is righted.Peach-shaped ewer with turquoise and purple glazes 兩只法華釉桃形倒灌壺
Ming dynasty, late 17th c.
CB-CC-1935-219
Stoneware jardinière with peony spray 法華牡丹紋花盆
Ming dynasty, 16th c.
CB-CC-1932-213
In China, the peony is also known as the “flower of wealth and rank”fuguihua 富貴花.Meiping vase with lotus design 法華蓮花紋梅瓶
Ming dynasty, late 15th - early 16th c.
CB-CC-1940-152
The lotus, whose beautiful bloom rises up out of a muddy pool on a long stem, is an important symbol of purity in Buddhism.Stoneware meiping vase with peony 法華牡丹紋梅瓶
Ming dynasty, 16th c.
CB-CC-1929-212Wine ewer in the shape of a crayfish 彩色蝦形酒壺
Ming dynasty, second half of 16th c.
CB-CC-1936-209
This crustacean symbolises rising in the social scale. Drinking wine poured from this ewer expresses the wish to climb quickly the rungs of the mandarin hierarchy.