Vase with Pomegranates

This bottle shaped vase with wide neck has a body of white porcelain, decorated with cobalt blue in floral designs beneath a faintly crackled glaze. Branches of pomegranate trees are filled with bursting fruits that reveal their seeds. Bands of floral motifs cover the neck, broken apart by a geometric keyfret at the center. Stylized lotus flowers rise up the neck towards a flared mouth. The raised foot rim is painted with repeated overlapping triangles beneath a register of curling scroll decorations. Outline and wash technique is employed to provide varied shades of cobalt blue to the floral motifs and decorative elements. Dots of rich pigment are applied generously on the pomegranate branches, fruits, and leaves. These dots may be an attempt in replicating the painting style of the preceding Ming dynasty.