GUANGXU SIX-CHARACTER MARK IN IRON RED AND OF THE PERIOD (1875-1908)

The playful design of bats and clouds decorating this vase is interpreted by J. Stuart, Joined Colors - Decoration and Meaning in Chinese Porcelain, Washington, D.C. 1993, pl. 97, as meaning "vast happiness piled up to the sky". The author further explains, "The symbol of a red bat is combined with colored clouds that represent the upper limits of heaven (hongfu qitian). The clouds also form a pun, since the word 'cloud' (yun) sounds like another word for 'luck'.
The design was particularly popular during the Guangxu period, and can be found decorating vessels of various forms. A similar bottle vase in the Nanjing Museum, Jiangsu province, is illustrated in China's Jingdezhen Porcelain through the Ages, Qing Dynasty, Hong Kong, 1998, p. 357.