KANGXI PERIOD (1662-1722)

The shape and decoration found on the present vase is based on prototypes of the early Ming dynasty, and due to its popularity continued to be produced through the end of the Qing dynasty. However, the present vase is notably different from these later Qing examples, and shares more in common with its Ming counterparts. Mid to late Qing interpretations of this yuhuchunping form are typically more slender compared to the broad, bulbous body of the present vase. The present vase also has a more pronounced and deeply curved rim, whereas later Qing interpretations typically have an everted and more flattened rim. The painting on the present vase is also more closely related to the painting found on Ming vases of this type, with bold brushwork and a dark, inky blue compared to the fine, detailed painting and bright blue cobalt of later Qing versions.

Perhaps the most similar vase in shape, size and decoration is the nearly identical yuhuchunping in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Ming Chu Qinghuaci, Beijing, 2002, p. 328, no. 175, where it is dated to the Kangxi period. (Fig.1) Of particular note is the fact that the two vases are of almost identical shape and decoration, share the same height, and have the same diameter foot rim.