This flat, pear-shaped ewer covered in cobalt-blue pigment, has the exact same decoration on both sides. The central motif is a bird, possibly a paradise flycatcher ('shoudainiao') perched on a rock amid plum blossoms. The ewer is decorated with various auspicious symbols implying good fortune, success and longevity.Wares of this type illustrate the turbulent period of the transition from Ming to Qing rule at the end of the 17th century. A period that was marked by the collapse of the imperial kilns, growing domestic interest in literary subjects and the customisation of private kilns for new markets.
