Prunus Vase with the Painting of a Beauty Flapping Fireflies

The painting of a lady is also known as "the portrait of a lady", which depicts the noble women's life in feudal China as subjects. This Prunus Vase with the Blue-and-White Painting of a Beauty Flapping Fireflies of the Ming Dynasty was made during Xuande’s reign (1426-1435). The painting depicts a well-dressed lady with a high hair bun sitting gracefully on a garden stool. A maid holds a Chinese zither case is coming up leisurely. Another maid holds a small fan is chasing after and flapping fireflies. The garden is full of pleasing landscape, carved stone railings, upright pines and graceful banana leaves decorated by colorful flowers and emerald green grass; mountains in the distance are vaguely covered by large stretches of clouds. This painting was designed based on the poem Sunset in Autumn, by a famous poet Du Mu (803-852) of Tang:

"The painted screen is chilled in silver candlelight, She uses silken fan to catch passing fireflies. The steps seem steeped in water when cold grows the night, She lies watching heart-broken stars shed tears in the skies.".

This poem depicted an elegant life scene of ancient women and reflected their yearning for and pursuit of sincere love and happy life.