Chinese Vase with Elephant Motif

Turquoise vase with two trunk-like handles and a web of crackle.

This eggshell porcelain vase with an elephant motif is from Nanyang, Henan Province, China, and is contemporary. It is egg shell & nanyang porcelain. Eggshell porcelain is a very thin-walled type of porcelain, so fine that light passes through the body, and it demands great skill in throwing and firing. Faceted, hexagonal-looking vase with a flaring lip, topped by two curled elephant-head handles at the shoulder. The glaze is bright sky blue, covered in a fine network of crackle lines, with a small chip near the rim. It is 3.25 inches wide, 3.25 deep and 5.25 high.

Polite elephants, glazed blue, and a bit crackly.