【Period】:Ming dynasty
【CAT】 :Porcelain
【Size】 :Height 36.3cm, mouth diameter 6.4cm, base diameter 13.4cm
Excavated from the tomb of Song Xuan and his wife, which was built in the 13th year of the Ming Zhengtong period, at Qiansheng village in Dongshanqiao
This porcelain vase has a thin and light body with a graceful shape. It has a rolled lip, a small mouth, a contracted neck, broad shoulders, a deep arc belly, and a shallow ring foot. On the exterior edge of the foot, there are marks of slanting cuts. Raised ridges can be found on its body where parts of the vase are jointed. Glaze is applied both inside and outside of the vase except the outside bottom which has the kiln red spots. Grayish red decorations are painted on the whole body of the vase under the transparent and bluish white glaze. Bowstring patterns separate the seven layers of decorative patterns on the body of the vase: plantain leaves on the neck; ruyi, curly grass, and interlocking chrysanthemum on the shoulder; pines, bamboos, and plum blossoms on the belly, which, coupled with plantains, camellias, and rocks, form the main motif of the vase; and seawater and facing-up, facing-down lotus flowers on the shin. With the rich decorative patterns arranged properly and harmoniously, the vase looks delicate and graceful.