Prunus Vase (meiping) with Design of Scattered Peach Blossoms

Visible in white against the dark brown glaze, 24 stylized peach blossoms, each with five petals and five glaze dots to mark the stamens and pistils, embellish this vessel’s exterior. This vase was wheel-thrown in sections that were luted, or joined with a slurry of water and clay before they were fired. Once the vessel was assembled, the 24 discrete stencils of cut paper that produced the design were affixed to its surface, and it was immersed foot-first in the glaze slurry. The bottom of its foot-ring was then immediately wiped free of glaze. When the glaze had stabilized but was still moist, the stencils were removed, leaving the reserved decoration.