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Date unknown · Porcelain · Asian Art

This exquisite vase is among the finest enamel wares produced by the imperial porcelain factory in the eighteenth century. The then-newly invented pink enamel is a colorful ground for the flower scrolls that frame the four roundels featuring auspicious plants. The Nandina bush (nantianzhu), Narcissus flowers (shuixian), and Ganoderma mushrooms (magic fungus or lingzhi) serve as a visual pun for the phrase “heavenly immortals’ greeting of longevity” (tianxian zhishou). Not only found on porcelain, the floral openwork design was also popular on enameled copper alloy works.

Artist

Unknown

Date

Date unknown

Medium

Porcelain

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Mr. and Mrs. Isaac D. Fletcher Collection, Bequest of Isaac D. Fletcher, 1917