Lidded Blue-and-White Prunus Vase with Designs of Two Dragons Vying for a Pearl and the Reign Mark of "Made in Wanli's Reign of Ming”

Dragon is both a divine animal in Chinese legends and a totem of the Chinese nation. Thus the design of dragon turned to be one of the conventional designs of Chinese porcelain. This Lidded Prunus Vase with Blue-and-white Designs of Two Dragons vying for a Pearl Made in Wanli's Reign of Ming is 52cm tall and 61.3cm in belly diameter. It is designed with lifted shoulders and a slim body, which looks extremely straight and tall. The lid is highly distinctive, which presents the shape of a semi-circled bowl. There is an inserted mouth under the lid in case that it might creep down. The surface of the lid is inscribed in regular script with "made in Wanli’s reign of Ming". Most of the prunus vases made in folk kilns of the Ming Dynasty are decorated with three-clawed or four-clawed dragons. Yet the dragons painted on this vase have five claws. Additionally, the two fierce dragons snatching the pearl are almost nose to tail, which are different from ordinary walking-dragon designs. This is an implement made by a folk kiln under government orders. This type of porcelain was made by folk kilns for supplementing the deficiency of imperial porcelain wares employed by the emperor under compulsive command of the government. It promoted the prosperity and development of folk kilns on the one hand, and granted the official wares with the free style of folk kiln products on the other hand.