Olive-Shaped Vase with Blue-and-White “Fushou” and Peach Motifs on a Yellow Ground

In Chinese legend, the peaches of immortality grow in the garden of the Queen Mother of the West. They ripen only once every 3,000 years, and whoever eats one lives forever. That's why peaches became the ultimate symbol of long life.

Here they hang heavy on fruiting branches, painted in deep cobalt blue, with flowering sprays climbing the slender neck.

Making this took two firings. First the blue was painted under a clear glaze and fired at high heat. Then the imperial yellow (jiaohuang) was carefully brushed into every space around the blue design, and the vase went back into a cooler kiln. Yellow was the emperor's colour, so a yellow-ground piece like this was made for the court.

An olive-shaped vase, 50 cm tall, from the Yongzheng reign (1723–1735). The base carries a six-character Da Qing Yongzheng Nian Zhi mark within double rings in underglaze blue.

The vase is of the olive-shaped form, also known as a Guanyin vase or Guanyin zun. Named for its resemblance to an olive, the form is characterised by a full central body that tapers towards both the mouth and foot. It features a flared rim, slender neck, gently sloping shoulders, curving body that contracts towards the base, and a foot ring. Its elegant, fluid profile represents a classic form that was particularly popular during the Yongzheng and Qianlong periods of the Qing dynasty.

The decoration combines underglaze cobalt blue with a yellow overglaze, employing a sophisticated two-stage firing process: the cobalt-blue decoration was first fired at high temperature beneath the glaze, followed by the application and low-temperature firing of the yellow glaze. This technically demanding combination was among the more prestigious decorative types produced at the imperial kilns during the Ming and Qing dynasties.

The blue-and-white decoration depicts longevity peaches with fruiting branches, bamboo leaves, and ornamental rocks. Such compositions frequently incorporate auspicious combinations of nine peaches and five bats, the latter representing the “Five Blessings” (wufu). Vessels of this type are therefore also referred to as yellow-ground blue-and-white “Nine Peaches” vases.

Yellow glaze was reserved for imperial use during the Ming and Qing dynasties, with the prized jiaohuang glaze, often likened to the rich tone of chicken fat, particularly esteemed. Its even, lustrous, and warm yellow surface conveys an air of splendour and refinement, traditionally associated with imperial authority and status.

The blue-and-white decoration employs a stippling and shading technique derived from the celebrated Xuande and Yongle traditions, producing distinct tonal gradations in the cobalt-blue pigment. The peaches, branches, foliage, and trunks are rendered with lively detail and carefully modulated tones, giving the composition a pronounced sense of depth and dimension.

The surface is densely decorated with auspicious peaches and auspicious birds. Peaches traditionally symbolise enduring longevity and blessings, while peach blossoms evoke the renewal and auspiciousness of spring. Together, these motifs convey the auspicious wish for “blessings and longevity in full measure.”

The base bears the six-character “大清雍正年製” (Da Qing Yongzheng Nian Zhi) reign mark, written in regular script (kaishu) in two vertical columns and enclosed within double concentric rings in underglaze blue. Read from right to left, the inscription reads “大清 / 雍正年製.” This format is a characteristic reign-mark style of Yongzheng-period imperial wares.