This pink-ground vase of baluster form has a curved body, narrow concave neck and a flanged mouth. The body is richly decorated with the standard phoenix and peony motifs and bright colours. On each side of the neck are moulded lion-dog handles and a pair of hornless dragons on the shoulder. Vases of this type have a form that is reminiscent of the ritual bronze vessels of the Shang (c.1600-1027 BCE) and Zhou (1027-256 BCE) dynasties.Porcelain vases are not usually used in Peranakan homes as ornamentation or for holding flowers. In traditional Straits Chinese custom, flowers are made as offerings to the spirits of ancestors and gods. Thus, pairs of vases, often with freshly cut chrysanthemums, are placed with other ritual objects on the ancestral altar-table.
