Meiping Vase

Qingbai wares of the Yuan dynasty continue an earlier tradition of porcelain wares covered with a transparent glaze, which began as early as the tenth century. The name qingbai (bluish white) refers to the faint bluish tint of the glaze in areas where it thickens. During the Yuan dynasty, qingbai wares were made primarily near Jingdezhen in Jiangxi province, which was later the site of the imperial Ming kilns. These simple but accomplished ceramics were important as the source of several later developments in porcelains during the Yuan, Ming (1368–1644), and Qing (1644–1911) dynasties.

The term meiping (plum blossom vase) describes a tall vase with a wide shoulder and small mouth. The decoration on this vase is arranged in three registers: carved floral scrolls on the shoulder, a carved dragon twisting through combed pattern clouds in the center register, and an upright band of incised, stylized petal motifs on the bottom register.