Vase with openwork pattern of flowers
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.
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