Baluster vase - Porcelain - China

The body of the vase features a traditional figurative scene with maidens or female figures immersed in a garden with floral elements, classical furnishings and plants. On the neck stand out banana leaves and two small stylized loops shaped like dragons or ruyi scepters, painted in iron red. The reverse bears a famous composition by the poet Li Bai (Tang Dynasty): "The clouds remind one of her robes, the flowers of her face; the spring breeze brushes the railing and the dew grows denser and brighter on the petals."
This text pairs perfectly with the front of the vase, which indeed depicts maidens in a garden. Right below the cursive signature stands out the artist's seal, stamped in iron red, which contains the characters of his art-name or workshop name. The joint presence of the calligraphic signature and the corresponding seal is a crucial element: in Zhou Yumao’s works, this combination certifies the painterly paternity of the porcelain by the master. Cross-referencing the painter's name with the analyzed temporal inscription, the production year is fixed at 1914. It is therefore an important historical testimony of the very early years of the Republic of China, painted by one of the most highly regarded masters of that artistic transition.