Pear-shaped bottle vase with auspicious symbols and stylized flowers c. 1680 - 1720

This pear-shaped vase is adorned with stylized flowers and symbols painted in a rich blue hue. These are not merely decorative; they are a language, a visual vocabulary of auspicious meanings. Notice how the wheel motif, reminiscent of Buddhist dharma wheels, rotates through cultures, reappearing in Celtic sun crosses or even as the rose windows of Gothic cathedrals. Each iteration carries a sense of cyclical return and cosmic order. Flowers, universally emblems of beauty and transient life, here seem to echo ancient fertility symbols, linking nature's regenerative power with human hopes for prosperity. Such symbols, passed down through generations, tap into our collective unconscious. They resurface in art and culture, bearing witness to our enduring aspirations and fears. The vase is not just an object; it's a vessel carrying the weight of human emotion and cultural memory.