Bottle with floral panels and scrolls

The distinctive shape of this bottle is derived from a fifteenth-century imperial prototype decorated with underglaze-blue, a form which was in turn adapted from Islamic metalwork. On the blue-and-white forms from Ming, the metal repoussé and inlaid ornaments of the Islamic vessels were rendered as paintings. Here, borrowing an idea from longquan celadons, they were re-created in shallow-relief bands, chrysanthemum petals, and incised floral scrolls. This is one example of imperial ritual wares produced in the solemn colored glaze.