Fauna and flora in Chinese porcelain

The body of this bottle is decorated with the motive of "the three friends of winter", the pine, the bamboo and the prunus. This became very popular during the Xuande period (1426-1435), and continued to be used during the following reigns and dynasties in a variety of the decoration arts.

Under the bulb of the bottle, which has the form of a lotus bud with petals in relief, the upper zone presents a frieze of ruyi-head. Ruyi (Chinese: 如意; literally: 'as desired; as [you] wish') is a curved decorative object that serves as a ceremonial sceptre of Buddhist monks and symbolizes power and good fortune in Chinese folklore. A traditional ruyi has a long S-shaped handle and a head fashioned like a fist, cloud, or lingzhi mushroom.

Bellow the blooming chrysanthemums and peonies, two branches, one with peaches and the other with pomegranates decorate this beaker vase. Technically, it is white porcelain painted in underglaze blue with enamels "wucai" or "five colours".

Copied from French silverware, this porringer was meticulously decorated in enamels of the "famille verte" palette, with touches of gold. Porcelain painted in "famille verte" enamels was extremely appreciated in Europe.

The decoration is divided into four panels which have flowers (peonies and others) and prune branches in bloom, bursting forth from rocky ground, over which insects fly.

The body of this ewer displays on this face a peach-shaped medallion emphasized by small flames, and contains a phonenix perched on a green rock framed by a mountain peony in blue, iron red and gold.

The five-petalled prunus bloom is considered the "national flower" of China, each petal corresponding to a clan: Chinese, Manchu, Mongol, Mohammedan and Tibetan.

This wall fountain with basin, from c. 1700, is made of porcelain painted in "famille verte" enamels. The decoration - representing water forms of life - of these two complementary pieces is related to their function.

Red and gold fish among weeds are the main decorative motifs of the upper part of this fountain, along with the lotus blossom. Fish have been of utter importance for China's millenary culture.

Crabs and fish.

Inside the basin, the marine decoration continues, while outside there are birds and flowers.

The fish represented in the decoration of the interior of this pair of fish bowls can be associated to the actual practical function of these large objects: be the recipient of fish - usually kept in ponds - on special occasions.

Related to the hunting scenes so common during the Manchu dynasty (Qing), there are horses, dogs, leopards, birds, etc.

This pot has on the upper register, on the shoulder, four polyploid reserves, decorated with white hare, superimposed on rock and pine, all very stylized.

As the ruyi-heads are similar to lingzhi mushroom's shape, considered the food of the daoist's immortals, the representation of the hare enphazises the spiritual meaning, as it is the hare that picks up the sacred mushoom from the moon.