Vase with wucai polychrome decoration of "One Hundred Deer" motif

This one-hundred-deer zun porcelain vessel has a lipped opening that flares slightly outwards, a short straight neck, gently sloping shoulders, a large body that tapers slightly inwards, and a flat bottom. The vase is decorated using wucai style, with two blue lines around the rim and an intermittent flower and peach pattern covering the neck. The shoulders are decorated with a blue-and-white cloud pattern and hanging banners that are alternately brown and green in color. In the middle of the vase are 89 deer surrounded by rocks, bushes, trees, and clouds. Near the base is a red-and-green decorative pattern that goes around the piece and could symbolize the earth. The bottom is unglazed except for a concave center which has a six-character two-line inscription in regular script that reads: Made during the Wanli reign of the Great Ming.

Wucai porcelains from the reign of the Wanli Emperor are particularly renowned. The term wucai (literally "five colors") refers to the use of red, green, yellow, brown, and purple glazes to depict scenes on a white porcelain body that are fired at a low temperature. In this context, wu (which means "five" in Chinese) does not refer to any specific five colors, but is rather a standard term that means multicolored. This vase is sturdy and heavy, regular in shape, covered in bright and colorful glaze, and is decorated from top to bottom with various patterns. The brushwork is straightforward and the motifs used are auspicious and infused with meaning. This piece is a fine example of the excellence achieved in "wucai" porcelains in the National Palace Museum collection.

Blue-and-white wucai porcelains were most popular during the reigns of the Ming emperors Jiajing and Wanli. Because the firing techniques involved in the production of such pieces were intricate and complex, large vessels were particularly prized. Given its size, style, and exquisite decorative pattern, this vase is extremely rare and the only vessel of its kind in the National Palace Museum collection.