Vase with Plum Tree and Swallows

This baluster shaped vase of white porcelain is painted in underglaze cobalt blue. A flowering plum tree emerging from the jagged rockery covers the body. The plum blossom is emblematic of the return of life in the spring following winter. Two swallows symbolic of fidelity and love are depicted as well. Outline and wash technique is utilized to provide a variety of shades of blue and textures to distinguish rough rock from soft petal. The vase of elegant shape curves inward beneath high shoulders and has an everted foot. A raised ring runs through the center of the wide neck, which flares slightly at the rounded lip.