Object Description
Chinese 17th century – Shunzhi – Wucai lidded jar with painting in over glaze enamels of iron red aubergine and yellow
The painting is of prunus blossom on a cracked ice ground
Prunus or plum blossom is associated with longevity and the five petal represent the five gods of happiness. The plum tree is one of the three friends of winter and it represents hardship and endurance. When the prunus blossom is with the cracked ice ground it is seen as the falling blossoms on the frozen northern rivers and is associated with the coming of spring and new life.
The lid is a wooden replacement one