GUANGXU-EARLY REPUBLIC PERIOD, LATE 19TH-EARLY 20TH CENTURY

The wisteria vine that decorates this vase is often seen on other Dayazhai wares, as the flower was a favorite of the Dowager Empress Cixi, and also decorated a number of her robes. The bird shown perched on the thick trunk of the vine may depict the Chinese huamei, so named for the distinctive marking around the bird's eyes - a white outline that extends backwards as a white stripe, thereby forming a 'painted eyebrow' (huamei).
Compare the present vase with the very similar decoration on a bowl in the collection of Sir Percival David illustrated by R. Scott in Elegant Form and harmonious Decoration – Four Dynasties of Jingdezhen Porcelain, London, 1992, p. 173, no. 200.