Vase with battle scene

Kangxi polychrome wares frequently employed historical scenes as the main picture, sometimes accented with related elements as secondary ornaments on the neck and the shoulder. This piece illustrates a battle between the Song and the northern minority, the Jin. Seething with hatred for having most of her family killed while resisting the Jin's invasion, the female general Mu Guiying, the wife of general Yang, leads an army to combat against the Jin on the frontier. The depiction of the horses, shown struggling in combat, is fascinating. For the neck, a sweet picture composed of four boys playing in a garden, between four treasure panels and four floral panels against textile patterned grounds, offers a thematic contrast to the battle scene.