Cleveland Museum of Art
Meiping Vase with carved Dragon Motif
- Date
- 1300s
- Medium
- Porcelain with pale bluish-white (qingbai; 青白) glaze and carved decoration
- Culture
- South China, Yuan dynasty (1279–1368)
- Department
- Chinese Art
- Institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
A fierce coiling dragon chasing a pearl amid mist and clouds—a symbol of fertility and power—decorates this sturdy vase. Its shoulder is incised with a band of lotus flowers and the base features a border of lotus petals. Meiping, literally prunus vase, derives its name from being used to display a single floral spray, traditionally a branch of blossoming plum (or prunus ), apricot, or cherry. In Chinese mythology, the dragon is believed to transport human souls to the heavens after death.
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