Prunus Vase with Blue-and-White Designs of Dragon and Phoenix Striking the Clouds and an Inscription of "Ri" Made in Wanli's Reign of Ming

The designs of the vase are painted in blue-and-white color, which consist of four sets. Each set is isolated by bow-string designs. The neck is painted with banana-leaf designs; the shoulders are designed with four swastika brocade-ground reserved panels, inside which four plucked branch pomegranates are painted respectively; the belly is decorated by the themed design of dragon and phoenix striking the clouds. A flying dragon soars into the sky with its head raised and claws stretched out. It penetrates through the clouds and mist while playing with a pearl; a phoenix echoes with the dragon and flies in the sky with its wings stretched and tail feathers extended gracefully. The radiant sun between the dragon and phoenix is inscribed with a character "Ri", meaning the sun, in blue-and-white color. The entire vase is concise and rigorous in composition, rational in design arrangement, fluent in lines and free in strokes.