Vase with figures of literati

The extremely refined incising on this piece creates a painted effect, with three bands depicted on the top and two below, with the main figure in between. These three pictures, framed by lobed petals, depict historical figures: Jiang Taigong (ca. 12th century BC), legendary for having exercised authority over the spirits of the unseen universe, shown here fishing with a straight piece of iron instead of a hook; Wang Xizhi (AD 321-379), regarded as a master calligrapher whose work was as "light as floating clouds, vigorous as a startled dragon" admiring a goose; and (probably) the hermit Tao Yuanming (AD 365-427), whose poem Peach Blossom Spring is considered one of the masterpieces of Chinese literature. The decorative manner was produced by first slipping the jar in white, then slipping it again in dark brown. It was then incised, and finally coated with colorless glaze. This elaborate style prevailed on all types of wares with painted decoration during the Yuan-Ming period. The incised drawings on a black ground here are, however, very unusual in their representations.