Song Dynasty Ru Kiln Fenghua Paper Hammer Bottle, housed in the National Palace Museum in Taipei

Song Dynasty Ru Kiln Fenghua Paper Hammer Bottle, housed in the National Palace Museum in Taipei

This paper hammer bottle has a total height of 22.4 centimeters, a diameter of 4.4 centimeters, and a bottom diameter of 8.6 centimeters. Round mouth slightly luxurious, with embedded copper buckle, slender neck, sloping shoulders, cylindrical belly, flat bottom without feet. The entire vessel is coated with sky blue glaze, and there are five small burn marks on the outsole. A circle of glaze has been removed from the bottom and coated with brown juice, revealing a yellowish color in the center, which may be caused by a cushion mark. The bottom of the paper hammer bottle is engraved with a poem by Emperor Qianlong titled 'Ru Kiln Pink Green Offering Hua Paper Hammer Bottle'. This cultural relic was produced in the second half of the 11th century to the early 12th century of the Northern Song Dynasty and is classified as a national treasure. It is currently housed in the National Palace Museum in Taipei.
Vietnamese vase, produced in the late 15th century

Vietnamese vase, produced in the late 15th century

This is a late 15th century artifact collected at the Minneapolis Museum of Art. Its decorative patterns include peonies, lotus flowers, birds, flowers, animals, fish, and even landscapes. These patterns are all painted in underglaze blue with a wavy background. The bottleneck is decorated with cloud vortices, there are banana leaves below the bottle mouth, and lotus leaves around the bottom of the bottle. The inspiration for Vietnamese blue and white porcelain comes from China. However, Vietnamese ceramic artists are not just imitators, they have developed a series of decorative patterns. This elegant pear shaped bottle is closely related to the Chinese prototype in both shape and decoration.