Chinese Ceramic Vase

A round body perched on a tall trumpet foot, like a bulb that grew a stem upside down.

This vase is from Nanyang, Henan Province, China, and is contemporary. It is egg shell and Nanyang porcelain. Chinese potters have pursued pale blue crackle glazes for many centuries, and the effect still carries the look of old court wares. Here the squat, rounded shoulder sits above a long flaring foot, and a short faceted neck opens into a slightly flared mouth. A band of incised lattice wraps the base. The glaze is a pale blue, laced all over with fine crackle. It is 10.5 inches high and 4.5 in diameter.

Elegant enough to make its center of gravity look intentional.