Shang Vase

This vase is part of a pair that entered the Museum's collection in 1932, but slight differences in size and decoration indicate that they were made at different times although following the same design. This form of Bottle Vase appears in the Song Dynasty (960–1279) as an archaistic revival of ancient bronze vessels, and the design of flowers connected by a scrolling vine is an adaptation of a Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) pattern. The Qing imperial court looked back to the Song and the Ming as two of the greatest eras of ceramic production, and the combination of a Song form and Ming decorative patterns is a Qing homage to China's past as a source of artistic excellence.