Vase “Chinese tea” China, second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries. Porcelain, glaze.

This vase is an example of Chinese art porcelain from the late imperial period, an example of a group of monochrome porcelain with colored glazes, one of the most technologically sophisticated and revered since the beginning of the 15th century.

Based on the color of the glaze, the vase belongs to the group of “monochromes”, i.e. – products coated with a single-color glaze. The color of the coating on the vase is characteristic of early products of this group and is reminiscent of the variety of flowers traditionally described as “tea dust”.

Such glaze first appeared in kilns in Shaanxi and Henan during the Tang Dynasty (VII-X centuries). It was later repeated in porcelain workshops of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), as well as in provincial workshops during the Qing (1644-1868).