Blue and White Vase
Mid-to-late Kangxi period (1661-1722)
Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province
Gift of the Tan family in memory of
Dr. Tan Tsze Chor
2002-80
The form of this vase is known as 'square mallet' and it was a popular shape during Qing period (1644-1911). The case is decorated with the text and scenes from the famous literacy work 'Earlier and Later Odes to the Red Cliff'. Written by Su Shi 苏轼(1037-1101), the 'Odes' expresses his thoughts about eternal cosmos and the fleeting nature of human life. The 'Odes; was a popular theme for Chinese painters and calligraphers alike. Vase of this size and mass probably be used by the chinese as a decoration, this is because the pot is too heavy and fragile to be carried around storing items such as water. Modern day pots have more variety of deeper, darker, purer colours than in the past where most pots were white in background with another colour, commonly blue. Modern day pots also have more unique designs and some even have different textures of surface. Modern day pots are mostly used for designing of homes or places, rarely it is used for storage of things like water or sand etc.
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