Meiping Vase with Dragon Motif

This 14th-century vase with carved decoration under a transparent bluish-white glaze (qingbai) depicts a coiling dragon amid thick mists and clouds—a symbol of fertility and power. The sturdy shape and lively carving under its bluish glaze are particularly charming as they characterize the ware’s later, more spontaneous and less formalized production under the Mongol occupation.