A 19th Century Qing Dynasty Porcelain Vase & Cover

A mid-19th century porcelain vase and cover, the body decorated with a blossoming tree with foliage, birds and insects.

While this vase is richly decorated with naturalistic themes, it makes great use of voids: the decoration described above sits like continents amid vast oceans of white glaze. On the reverse side, we see small insects, painted in flight.