Vase
Chinese
Description
Subject Matter:
A gray stoneware meiping (梅瓶), "plum blossom vase" of the late Yuan (1279-1368) or early Ming dynasty (1368-1644).
These were thought to have been made by Southern provincial kilns of the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties to be exported to the Philippines. Most of these have been excavated from a site in Manila. The meiping or plum blossom vase form was originally made to store rice "wine," but got its name because the bottle form can attractively display a single branch of plum blossoms.
A similar bottle is in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, Museum number FE.36-1975.
Physical Description:
A loosely wheel-thrown, gray stoneware, unglazed vase of meiping (梅瓶) form, tall and tapered with coarse inclusions. The vase has wide shoulders and a narrow mouth with a small neck. Uneven contour and visible throwing lines leave a ribbed surface, showing kiln effects.
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