Black-Ground Sancai Gu Vases with Trident Ridges and Sea-Horse and Auspicious Beast Dragon Decoration （A Pair）

This shape began more than 3,000 years ago, as a bronze wine vessel used in Shang dynasty rituals. Ming potters copied it in porcelain, keeping the flaring trumpet mouth, the swelling middle and even the vertical ridges ("trident flanges") that once stood out on the cast bronze.

What makes this pair unusual is the ground: black. Against it, the sancai enamels in green, yellow, aubergine and orange-red glow almost like cloisonné.

Look at the neck. The "sea horse" here isn't the little fish; in Chinese art the haima is a heavenly horse galloping across the waves, a symbol of power that crosses any boundary. Other auspicious beasts run beside it, and on the bulging middle section, dragons twist among clouds between the flanges.

The last great age of Ming porcelain, and pairs were meant to stand together on an altar or a scholar's table.

This vessel is executed in black-ground sancai (three-colour), featuring a glossy black-glazed ground accented with green, red, yellow, and ochre enamels to create a rich and deeply saturated palette. As a low-fired polychrome technique, the process was technically complex: after high-temperature firing of the ceramic body, the vessel was coated overall with a lustrous black glaze; the decorative outlines were then incised, filled with low-temperature enamels, and fired again at a lower temperature.

The resulting black ground has an inky, lustrous appearance, while the coloured enamels settle within the glaze layer, creating a striking and solemn contrast. This distinctive technique was particularly suited to gu-form vases, altar vessels, and other ceremonial display wares.

Against the black ground of the neck are winged sea-horses, auspicious mythical beasts, red carp, turbulent waves, rocky shores, and scrolling clouds. The scale-covered beasts gallop through the surging waters with their wings outstretched, while red carp weave among the curling waves and auspicious clouds surround the scene.

The imagery conveys the auspicious themes of “sea-horses presenting blessings,” “carp leaping through the waves,” and peace throughout the realm, while the carp also symbolizes abundance and prosperity year after year. The sea-horse represents the submission and harmony of the four seas, expressing wishes for peace, prosperity, and universal auspiciousness.

The sides of the vessel feature prominent three-dimensional vertical flanges (taijian), imitating the raised ribs of Shang and Zhou bronze ritual vessels. The substantial flanges are fully decorated with scrolling cloud and key-fret patterns in alternating red and green enamels, executed with meticulous precision.

The principal decoration consists of green-enamelled striding dragons against the lustrous black ground. Their sinuous bodies are rendered in vivid green, with finely detailed scales, while yellow accents highlight the flowing manes and flaming jewels. The powerful dragons twist and coil dynamically amid auspicious clouds, symbolizing auspiciousness, prosperity, authority, and imperial majesty.

The decoration incorporates Buddhist emblems, lotus, and auspicious floral motifs, with key-fret and wave-pattern borders along the rim and lower sections. The ornament is arranged in clearly defined horizontal registers from top to bottom, closely following the decorative divisions of archaic bronze ritual vessels. The auspicious emblems and flowers convey blessings and good fortune. Displayed as a pair, such vessels were suited to ceremonial or formal hall settings, expressing wishes for peace, prosperity, and auspicious abundance.

The base bears the six-character kaishu mark “Da Ming Wanli Nian Zhi” (大明万历年制), arranged vertically from right to left within double underglaze-blue circles, a classic mark format of Wanli-period imperial wares. The calligraphy is characteristically bold and free in execution, with slightly irregular spacing reflecting the distinctive Wanli-period style.

The foot is left unglazed in the characteristic sandy base (shadi), with yellowish-brown exposed clay containing fine dark specks and kiln-related sand pits. At the centre, a circular area is covered in white glaze and inscribed with the reign mark, exemplifying the sand-fired, inset-mark technique commonly found on large Wanli-period gu vases and other substantial vessels. Most of the base retains its original unglazed sandy finish, with white glaze applied only to the marked area.