Small vase 1766 - 1803

This small vase was crafted in China, and its delicate porcelain surface is adorned with potent symbols. The blue floral motif, rendered with precise detail, speaks to a long tradition associating flowers with transient beauty and the ephemeral nature of life. Consider how floral patterns appear not only here, but also in the swirling acanthus leaves on Roman monuments, or Botticelli's Primavera, each instance carrying echoes of renewal and rebirth. Yet, here, in the East, flowers carry an additional layer of meaning. The arrangement and type of blossom hints at status and a family's lineage. These ever-evolving symbols, passed down through history, continuously shift in meaning. Like a dream, these images tap into our collective memory. The viewer subconsciously decodes these familiar symbols, and emotionally connects to the vase.