Chinese Ceramic Vase

Eleven yellow ribs run from foot to lip, each one outlined in crackle.

This vase comes from Nanyang in Henan Province, China, and is contemporary, of egg shell and Nanyang porcelain. The garlic-head neck is a classic Chinese form that dates back many centuries, and is named for the bulb-like swelling near its mouth. Here a tall tapering neck rises from a full pear-shaped body, ribbed in shallow vertical lobes and set on a faceted foot. Two small bird handles are pinched against the shoulder. The glaze is a lemon yellow with an extensive crackle. It is 8 inches high and 3.5 in diameter.

Bright enough to make a gray room reconsider.