LATE MING DYNASTY, WANLI-TIANQI PERIOD, CIRCA 1620

A very similar vase in the Phoenix Art Museum, Matthew Wong Collection, is illustrated by Stephen Little in Chinese Ceramics of the Transitional Period: 1620-1683, New York, 1984, p. 39, no. 2, who notes that the shape, which is unique to this period, is a cross between the traditional meiping and the cylindrical-form vases of the Chongzhen period. The rocky landscape, depicted in deep shades of underglaze blue, envelopes the small figures and pays tribute to the earlier 'windswept’ style. This style is particularly noteworthy in the undulating, wispy clouds that run through the mountain crests across the entire scene.