Blue and White Jar with Fish among Lotus and Waterweeds, Ming Dynasty

PP-0109

Description

A blue and white porcelain jar with a short upright neck, a broad rounded shoulder and sides narrowing to a wide foot. The main band shows fish swimming among lotus flowers, lotus leaves and long trailing waterweeds, painted in a dark, inky blue. A scroll circles the neck, and a lotus scroll with large blossoms and leafy tendrils fills the shoulder. Below the main band, a lattice border of small florets runs above a ring of upright panels enclosing auspicious emblems.

The glaze has a pale green tone with crackles over the whole surface. The base is unglazed, showing spiral throwing rings in an orange-brown body. The quality of the porcelain and the painting suggest a local maker.