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Chinese
Gourd-shaped vase (c. 1530)
porcelain, enamel (Fahua ware)
36.7 × 21.2 cm diameter
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Gift of H. W. Kent, 1938
Photo: National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
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About this work
During the Ming dynasty the colour blue was associated with the heavenly court and the realm of the immortals. The fact that the roof tiles of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing are blue is testament to blue’s paramount status in the Chinese hierarchy of colours. In the same auspicious manner that yellow dragons and magical pearls decorate huge blue tiled walls in Beijing’s Forbidden City, the dragon and magical pearl can be seen here decorating a blue porcelain bottle in the shape of a gourd. The gourd represents happiness, good luck and wealth.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, south-east China, China
Accession Number
3720-D3
Department
Asian Art
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of The Gordon Darling Foundation
Physical description
Double gourd shape, dragons and spiral clouds, yellow, purple on turquoise. Cloisonne (fahua) style. Ming dynasty.