Gourd-shaped vase with gourds on vines and bats

China

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 220

Beyond the appeal of its sinuous form and elegant blue-and-white decoration, this gourd-shaped vase would have been treasured for the layers of auspicious meaning encoded in its decoration. The image of gourds on vines is a rebus, or visual word puzzle, for “fortune and prosperity through ten thousand generations” (fulu wandai), while the combination of bats and gourds forms a second rebus for “good fortune and wealth” (fulu).

Gourd-shaped vase with gourds on vines and bats, Porcelain painted in underglaze cobalt blue (Jingdezhen ware), China

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Gourd-shaped vase with gourds on vines and bats, Porcelain painted in underglaze cobalt blue (Jingdezhen ware), China
Gourd-shaped vase with gourds on vines and bats, Porcelain painted in underglaze cobalt blue (Jingdezhen ware), China
Gourd-shaped vase with gourds on vines and bats, Porcelain painted in underglaze cobalt blue (Jingdezhen ware), China
Gourd-shaped vase with gourds on vines and bats, Porcelain painted in underglaze cobalt blue (Jingdezhen ware), China

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