Chinese Porcelain Fu Bats Fengweizun

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Chinese porcelain Fu Bats fengweizun, a finely formed, phoenix-tail vase with a cobalt blue glazed exterior, and a white glazed … Read more Chinese porcelain Fu Bats fengweizun, a finely formed, phoenix-tail vase with a cobalt blue glazed exterior, and a white glazed interior, inset base, foot, and skirted, dentate neck flange. The vase has a large, garlic head top instead of the usual trumpet shaped rim. Numerous freely drawn, iron red and white, Fu Bats are scattered on the neck and body of the vase amid dense, stylized, blue and white auspicious clouds (xiangyun). Double blue ringlets bracket the neck and body of the vase at their top and bottom. A Kangxi era, blue, double ring mark is glazed to the inset base. Circa Republic of China era.

Red bats: the bat symbolizes good fortune and longevity. Red bats symbolize "vast fortune" because the word for red (\(紅\)) sounds like the word for vast (\(宏\)). 

xiangyun: xiangyun are traditional Chinese stylized clouds decorative patterns. They are also known as yunwen , auspicious clouds or lucky clouds. Early in its history, clouds were often perceived under a ritual or liturgical lens where xiangyun were oftentimes associated with the presence of deities and were considered a good omen indicating the arrival of good fortune. In Chinese mythologies, mythological creatures and deities use clouds as their mount, to ride or stand upon.   Clouds were also closely associated with the Chinese immortals (called xian) and their residence on Mount Penglai. Xiangyun were also symbolic motifs which implied immortality. See less