Prunus Vase with Blue-and-White Painting of "Wealthy and Sufficient" and Designs of Fish and Algae

This pair of prunus vases with blue-and-white fish and algae designs made in the early Ming Dynasty are treasured up by Guilin Museum. They were designed with the style of the Yuan Dynasty and unearthed from the tomb of Jingjiang Prince Zhaohe, Zhu Guiyu. The themed design on the belly has two sets of lotus flowers fluttering in the wind. A crucian and a mandarin fish swim leisurely in the lotus pond among lotus flowers. Such a design in China implies "wealthy and sufficient". The mandarin fish in the painting is especially vivid and full of vigor, which constitutes the essential part of the entire image. It is rare to depict fish as vividly as this vase in blue-and-white porcelain paintings. The designs of this vase reflect people's best wishes of praying for good fortune.