Ceramics in National Palace Museum, Qianlong reign (1736-1795), Qing dynasty

Welcome to the National Palace Museum's collection of ceramics from the Qianlong reign of the Qing dynasty! Here you will find some of the most beautiful and intricate pieces of Chinese pottery from this period. There is a Revolving Vase with Swimming Fish in Cobalt Blue Glaze, Coupled Vase with Flower-and-Bird Panels in Fencai Rose Enamels, Six Conjoined Vases in Tea Dust Glaze, Bowl with Indian Lotus Design on a Pink Brocade Ground, and Porcelain Vase Decorated in Fencai Enamels against a Yellow Ground, with Rotating Interior and Openwork Eight Trigram and Ju-i Motifs. These pieces are all unique and exquisite works of art that tell us about the culture and craftsmanship of the time. Come explore these amazing artifacts today!

1. Revolving vase with swimming fish in cobalt blue glaze

This reticulated vase has an inverted mouth, inward sloping sides, a long neck, broad shoulders, tapered belly, and short ring foot. The shoulders of the vessel are decorated with four ring-shaped loops. The belly of the vase is divided into inner and outer layers. The inner layer is coated with light lake-green glaze to create a background akin to the waters of a lake, within which aquatic plants, fallen blossoms, and goldfish are painted in fencai

2. Coupled Vase with Flower-and-Bird Panels in Fencai Rose Enamels

The round, flat shape of the vase appears as two vases on the outside, one in front of the other. However, they are actually the bodies of two vases that are joined together as a single form on the inside. The rims are slightly inverted, the necks short, and the bases rectangular. The vessel is somewhat heavy and the surface decorated with patterns of blue and violet backgrounds. The backgrounds were then painted with various floral designs. The center of both vases in this conjoined vessel have panels, one decorated with plum blossoms and magpies, while the other with narcissi and quails. Since the two are conjoined, the two panels overlap, with one partially in front of the other. Thus, one appears as completely round, while the other is in the shape of a crescent. This adaptation, along with the dual-color scheme of blue and violet, share the same vessel and create an interesting variation in which each part echoes the other.

3. Six Conjoined Vases in Tea Dust Glaze

This unusual vessel consists of five conjoined vases of the same shape and size circling around a central main vase, forming a single complete vase. The cross-section of the vessel indicates that the interior of the six vases is joined together, with only the slender necks helping to exaggerate their individuality. Of particular note is the evenness of the height of the five surrounding vases and the slightly taller central vase, appropriately emphasizing it as a work composed of six vases joined together.

4. Bowl with Indian lotus Design on a Pink Brocade Ground

This bowl with a flaring rim has a deep curving body and a short foot ring. The outer wall is covered with a light pink glaze as a base, on top of which is engraved patterns of plants and geometric designs. Painted on top of the pink enamel are winding stalks of lotus flowers, and near the rim is an encircling geometric pattern in blue pigment.

5. Porcelain Vase Decorated in Fencai Enamels against a Yellow Ground, with Rotating Interior and Openwork Eight Trigram and Ju-i Motifs

This vase set contains a revolving center and an interlocking top and bottom. The structure of the vase is quite complex. The center of the vase body is divided into two parts, with the rims where they meet fashioned into the shape of a cloud-shaped ju-i pattern.