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Abundant Descendants – A RareYuan Dynasty Pear-shapedVase
Rosemary Scott, Senior International Academic Consultant Asian Art
This exceptionally rare blue and white vase, which was published in 1981 However, Yuan dynasty blue and white pear-shaped vases with all-over
by Tsugio Mikami in Ceramic Art of the World, vol. 13, Liao, Chin and Yüan scrolling plant designs, like that on the current vase, are particularly rare.
Dynasties, pl. 210, dates to the Yuan dynasty and belongs to the fnest group One such vase with a design of white peony scrolls against a background of
of pear-shaped vases, yuhuchunping, from this period. It is fnely-potted, has formal, concentric arc, waves is in the collection of the Nelson-Atkins Museum,
a sinuous S-shaped profle, and a slender neck with widely faring trumpet Kansas City (illustrated by Zhu Yuping in Yuandai qinghuaci, op. cit., p. 274,
mouth, which perfectly balances the lower part of the body. This group may no. 10-8). A vase in the collection of the British Museum, decorated with a
be distinguished from the somewhat more heavily-potted vases of this form, chrysanthemum scroll is illustrated in Splendors in Smalt – Art of Yuan Blue-
including those which have octagonal bodies. Probably because of their more and-white Porcelain, op. cit., pp. 88-9, no. 15. A further pear-shaped vase now
delicate potting, fewer of these vases appear to have survived than those from in Shanghai is decorated all-over with a dense peony scroll (illustrated by Xu
the other groups. However, the fne quality of their potting and fnishing render Ming 許明 in Tu’erqi, yi lang guan cang Yuan qinghua kao cha qin li ji 土耳其, 伊
this group more suitable for decoration without, or with minimal, minor bands, 朗館藏 元青花 考察 親歷 記, Shanghai, 2012, p. 273). No Yuan dynasty blue and
since there was no need to break up the design in order to mask infelicities white pear-shaped vase decorated solely with fruiting scrolls - either grape
of form. The high regard in which these more delicate pear-shaped vases vines or melon plants - other than the current example, appears to have
were regarded is refected in the fact that one of them, unearthed from a Yuan been published.
dynasty cellar at Gao’an, Jiangxi province in 1980, was white-glazed and then
had dragons in gold foil applied to the surface (illustrated in The Porcelain from A Yuan dynasty blue and white pear-shaped vase with banded decoration,
the Cellar of the Yuan Dynasty in Gao’an 高安元代窖藏瓷器, Beijing, 2006, p. but with the main decorative band containing an unusual design of grape
89). Nevertheless, some of the fne pear-shaped vase group were decorated vines was found in Indonesia in the 1960s and is now in the collection of the
with banded decoration, such as the pear-shaped vase excavated in 1985 from British Museum (illustrated by J. Harrison-Hall in Ming Ceramics in the British
a Yuan dynasty tomb in Qingzhou, Shandong province (illustrated Blue and Museum, London, 2001, P. 72, no. 1.28). It is, however, very rare to fnd grapes
White of the Yuan 元青花, Beijing, 2009, pp. 26-7), which has a three-clawed or melons appearing alone in the decoration of Yuan dynasty blue and white
dragon in its main decorative band, or the vase in the collection of the Capital vessels. The two plants frequently occur in the decoration of large Yuan
Museum, Beijing, which has ducks on a lotus pond in its main decorative band dynasty dishes, but as part of an ensemble of rocks and plants, suggestive of
(illustrated by Zhu Yuping 朱裕平 in Yuandai qinghuaci 元代青花瓷, Shanghai, a garden or landscape but rarely composed in a naturalistic manner, or with
2000, p. 126, no. 5-14) but this was a choice by the decorators of these vases, realistic proportions. Such ensembles occur on both dishes with bracket
rather than a necessity. lobed rims and those with straight rims. Dishes with this type of design and
with bracket lobed rims include those in the Shanghai Museum (illustrated in
When these fne pear-shaped vases had single theme decoration, it usually Splendors in Smalt – Art of Yuan Blue-and-white Porcelain, op. cit., pp. 112-13,
took one of two forms. Either the vessels were decorated with narrative no. 27), and the British Museum (illustrated in Tu’erqi, yi lang guan cang Yuan
scenes from contemporary drama, or they bore well-painted scrolling qinghua kao cha qin li ji, op. cit., p. 229). Dishes of this type with straight rims
decoration. Amongst those bearing narrative scenes is the vase, which was include those in the Topkapi Saray, Istanbul (illustrated in the same volume, p.
excavated in 1956 in Taoyuan county, Changde city, Hunan province, with a 20), and two dishes from the Ardebil Shrine (illustrated in the same volume,
scene with Meng Tian (蒙恬 d. 210 BC), who was a general of the Qin dynasty pp. 168 and 169). The ensemble including grape vines and melon plantss also
and was honoured for his campaigns against the Xiongnu (illustrated in Blue appears on a small number of Yuan dynasty blue and white large dishes with
and White of the Yuan, op. cit., p. 31), and the vase excavated in 1986 from a bracket lobed rims, which include birds in the central roundel. These include
Yuan dynasty tomb at East Wayao village, Beimen, Shangrao, Jiangxi province a dish in the collection of the Topkapi Saray, Istanbul, which depicts two long-
depicting Zhou Dunyi (周敦頤 AD 1017–1073), the Neo-Confucian philosopher tailed birds, one of which is perched on a balustrade (illustrated by Zhu Yuping,
and cosmologist, admiring the lotuses which he commemorated in his famous op. cit., p. 178-9, no. 7-7), and the dish which includes a fying phoenix from the
prose work Ai lian shuo (愛蓮說 ‘On Love of the Lotus’) (illustrated in Splendors collection of the Ardebil Shrine, now in the National Museum of Iran, Tehran
in Smalt – Art of Yuan Blue-and-white Porcelain 幽藍神採,元代青花瓷器特 (illustrated in Splendors in Smalt – Art of Yuan Blue-and-white Porcelain, op.
集, Shanghai, 2012, pp. 196-7, no. 67). In addition, a small number of these cit., pp.138-9, no. 39). This latter dish bears the vaqfnameh of Shah ‘Abbas (r.
trumpet-mouthed Yuan dynasty pear-shaped vases bear all-over designs of 1588-1629) incised under the rim.
dragons, such as the small vase from the Osaka Museum of Oriental Ceramics
illustrated by Zhu Yuping in Yuandai qinghuaci, op. cit., p. 87, no. 3-45, and the
vase depicting a dragon fve-clawed dragon amongst clouds in the collection
of the Henan Provincial Museum, illustrated in the same volume, p. 101,
no. 4-15.
