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Primary sourceArtifactYongle period (1402-1424)

Yongle-Period Meiping Bottle

Yongle period (1402-1424)

A blue-and-white porcelain meiping vase made during the Yongle reign, now in the Freer Gallery of Art.

This vase exemplifies the fine porcelain produced during Yongle's imperial reign.

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A blue-and-white porcelain meiping vase with a narrow neck and rounded shoulders, decorated in cobalt blue with scrolling bands, lotus blossoms, and vines. It stands on a dark wooden stand on a white display plinth.
Meiping bottle, Yongle period. Freer Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

About this source

What it is

This meiping, a type of narrow-necked porcelain vase, is decorated in cobalt blue with scrolling bands, lotus blossoms, and vines. It dates from the Yongle period of the Ming dynasty and is held today at the Freer Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

Why it matters

This vase represents the imperial porcelain tradition that flourished under Yongle's patronage, showing the skill of court artisans and the taste for fine blue-and-white ware that became famous worldwide.

Look closer

  • What do the lotus and scroll patterns suggest about the artistic style of the period?
  • Why might this kind of object have been valuable enough to survive and travel to a museum abroad?
  • What is missing from this object that would tell us about its original owner or use?

This artifact is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Yongle Emperor on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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