Chinese Ceramic Vase

A double gourd in butter yellow, cracked all over like a sunlit pavement.

This vase comes from Nanyang in Henan Province, China, and is contemporary, of egg shell and Nanyang porcelain. The double gourd is one of the oldest Chinese vessel forms, and is often taken as a symbol of good fortune and long life. The two stacked bulbs here are faintly lobed and covered in a bright yellow glaze with a bold crackle. The neck rises to a ruffled mouth, flanked by two small handles that curl into loose rings. It is 3 inches wide and 7.25 high.

Cheerful, and cracked in all the right places.