Miniature vase
Label Text
According to family tradition, Martha Washington gave this miniature Chinese export porcelain vase to Mary Lear Storer, the niece of George Washington's secretary, Tobias Lear.
Datec. 1785
Geography
Made -
China
Medium/TechniquePorcelain (hard-paste), enamel, gilt
DimensionsOverall (H x W x D): 4 11/16 in. x 2 9/16 in. x 2 9/16 in. (11.91 cm x 6.51 cm x 6.51 cm)
Credit LineGift of Mrs. Henry S. Turner, 1898
Object numberW-491
DescriptionBaluster-shaped vase with a tall, cylindrical neck and integral foot ring, decorated in underglaze cobalt blue and overglaze polychrome enamels and gilt. The front and back of the vase feature a flower-filled cornucopia in polychrome enamels with gilded details at the center of an elongated reserve framed by underglaze blue scrolls and flowers; additional polychrome enamel rose sprigs surround the cornucopia inside the reserve. Each side of the vase is ornamented with sprays of flowers in both underglaze blue and overglaze enamels. A cell-diaper band runs around the top of the neck; below it is a line and row of dots in overglaze red. The shoulder is encircled with a complex, underglaze blue border with half-flower heads, trellis-diaper, fish roe-diaper, flowers, and foliage.The lid to the vase is missing.
Published ReferencesSusan Gray Detweiler, George Washington's Chinaware (New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1982), 172.
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