Chinese Ceramic Vase

Two small dragons climb the shoulders, then think better of it and hang on.

This vase comes from Nanyang in Henan Province, China, and is contemporary, of egg shell and Nanyang porcelain. Copper and iron oxides have given Chinese potters their warm reds and corals for centuries, and the color is famously difficult to control in the kiln. The glaze here is a glossy coral orange with a sparse network of crackle. The body narrows from a full shoulder into a slim waist, then flares to a trumpet foot, with a short neck at the top and a creature handle on each side. It is 4 inches wide and 7.25 high.

Persimmon, sunset or salmon. It is willing to be all three.