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Bottle with Flowers of the Four Seasons

Late 1300s
Artist/maker unknown, Chinese
This elegant form with swelling globular body is decorated with auspicious motifs and four seasonal flowers centered around a jagged ornamental garden rock. Camellia and bamboo (pictured) represent winter, as the flower blooms around the time of the Chinese New Year and bamboo remains green throughout the cold months; peony represents spring; the pomegranate flower signifies summer; and the chrysanthemum indicates autumn. A band of scrolling tendrils of ruyi fungus decorate the lip. Ruyi, whose name means "as you wish," is an auspicious motif often seen in porcelain decoration.

Object Details

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