Chinese Ceramic Vase

Six flat sides, a high shoulder and a waist cinched like a dress fitting.

This vase comes from Nanyang in Henan Province, China, and is contemporary, of egg shell and Nanyang porcelain. Its silhouette follows the meiping, a classic Chinese form with broad shoulders and a small mouth, originally made to hold a single branch of plum blossom. Here the shape is faceted into six panels and set on a stepped hexagonal base. A pale apple green glaze covers it, broken by a dense web of fine crackle lines. It is 3 inches wide and 7 high.

Plum blossom optional, posture compulsory.