Vase with lotus motif in low-relief

This type of large vase usually carried either peony or lotus motifs molded or carved on the long neck and the oval body, though sometimes the design is confined to the body alone. It was grooved with horizontal lines encircling the neck, and molded with vertical lotus panels around the lower portion. Here the lotus motif is depicted in sprays on scrolls and panels around the vessel's body. They have come to light as part of the cargo of the shipwreck at Xin'an (Ministry of Culture and Information 1983: pls. 23-4), but more often have been recovered from storage pits. Three such vases found in a pit in Mongolia dating to 1309 exemplify the masterful potting of the period (WW 1977.5: 76).