Chinese Lidded Wine Vessel

Lions bound through a jungle of peonies and scrolling vines, all in cobalt.

This lidded wine vessel comes from Jingdezhen, China, and dates to the Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1912 CE). It is porcelain. Jingdezhen has been China's porcelain capital for centuries, and the tall, high-shouldered meiping form was generally used for wine, its small mouth closed with a cap. Painted in underglaze blue, Buddhist lions with curly manes play among large peony blossoms and dense scrollwork. A band of hatched lappets rings the shoulder, and tall stylized panels circle the foot. A small cylindrical cap sits on the neck. It is 16 inches high and 7.25 in diameter.

Even the lions seem to be having a pleasant afternoon.