The upper section of this vase is painted with a garden scene featuring two scholars. While the lower section features the seven sages in a bamboo grove. The sages were a group of scholar-officials who lived during the 3rd century CE. In protest against the authorities and to escape from political troubles of the period, they withdrew from officialdom. They were believed to have gathered in a bamboo grove in Shanyang (located in present-day Henan province) where they indulged in philosophical discussions, aesthetic activities and wine. They embodied the 'qingtan' movement in vogue then, which advocated individualistic spiritual freedom. Their reclusive lifestyle and literary accomplishments became an inspiration for future members of the scholar-literatus class. This vase could have been purchased for export to the West, as suggested by the tulip motif around the rim.
