Jingdezhen Xuande-Style Blue-and-White Fish and Aquatic Plants Yuhuchun Vase

Four fish move between lotus, reeds, and aquatic plants around the pear-shaped body of this Yuhuchun vase. The composition is continuous: no single fish is treated as the front, so turning the vase reveals a changing underwater scene.

Fish-and-water-plant decoration became an important subject in Ming blue-and-white porcelain. Its appeal is both visual and linguistic. Fish suggest life in motion, while the word yu also sounds like surplus, making the motif a traditional expression of abundance without turning the object into a promise of fortune.

Made in contemporary Jingdezhen in the Xuande style, the vase uses underglaze cobalt ranging from lighter washes to darker accents. The narrow neck and flared mouth leave most of the visual weight on the rounded lower body, where the fish and plants can be followed at close range. It is a compact way to bring one of Ming blue-and-white porcelain's most enduring natural subjects into a study or cabinet.

• Origin: Jingdezhen, Jiangxi, China
• Material: Porcelain made from porcelain stone and kaolin
• Decoration: Hand-painted underglaze blue
• Motif: Four fish, lotus, reeds, aquatic plants, scrolls, and lotus-petal bands
• Form: Yuhuchun vase
• Dimensions: 25.7 cm H x 17.5 cm body diameter / 10.1 in H x 6.9 in body diameter
• Mouth opening: 7.9 cm / 3.1 in
• Base diameter: 10.2 cm / 4.0 in
• Object status: Contemporary Xuande-style interpretation