Multi-Glazed Vase

The multi-glazed vase, 86 centimeters in height and 27 centimeters in mouth diameter, was produced by Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln in the Qing Dynasty.

The entire vase features 15 glazes and colors. In porcelain production, different glazes and colors are required to be fired at different temperatures with different techniques.

High-temperature colored glazes such as imitated Ru Kiln glaze, flambé glaze, and blue-and-white glaze need to be fired first in the kiln, and low-temperature colored glazes such as famille-rose glaze and enamel glaze need to be fired later. Therefore, the firing process for this artifact was repeated several times, and any careless move might have ruined the whole piece. Its successful production proved that the imperial kiln in the Qianlong period had fully mastered the firing techniques and characteristics of various glazes.

Twelve images are featured on the belly of the vase, of which six are realistic paintings depicting phoenixes worshiping the morning sun, elephants, and fairylands, among others, with the other six being decorative patterns of animals, plants, and objects symbolizing auspiciousness such as the bats (homophonic with "福 (fu)" in Chinese, meaning "good fortune"), jade Ruyi, ganoderma fungus, and flowers.

The images are all framed like windows on the vase, which is known as Kaiguang (literally, "open light"). At the bottom of the vase is the mark "Made in Emperor Qianlong's reign of the Qing Dynasty".

The multi-glazed vase features a variety of glazes and colors such as high-temperature and low-temperature glazes, overglaze colors, and underglaze colors, earning the reputation of "mother of porcelain".

As the only of its kind preserved to this day, the precious vase embodies the superb porcelain-making skills of its time and the inclusiveness of Chinese culture, contributing to the development and prosperity of porcelain culture in China and even the world.

各種釉彩大瓶

各種釉彩大瓶，清代景德鎮御窯廠燒造，瓶高86厘米，口徑27厘米。

瓶子從上到下，使用了15種不同的釉彩來裝飾。陶瓷加工過程中，不同釉彩的燒制工藝與溫度不同。仿汝釉、窯變釉與青花等屬高溫釉彩，需優先燒制。粉彩、琺瑯彩等屬低溫釉彩，需要后入窯燒制。所以，這件器物需多次入窯出窯，多次燒制，稍有不慎，整器皆毀。其成功制作表明乾隆時期御窯廠已經全面掌握各種釉彩的燒造技藝與性能特點。瓶的腹部有12幅圖，6幅為寫實圖畫，繪“丹鳳朝陽”“太平有象”“仙山瓊閣”等，另外6幅則是吉祥寓意的蝙蝠（與“福”諧音）、如意、靈芝、花卉等。圖畫皆在框內，好像瓶子上的一扇扇開窗，稱為“開光”。瓶底有“大清乾隆年制”款識。

各種釉彩大瓶集高溫低溫、釉上釉下等多種釉彩裝飾于一身，因此這件大瓶素有“瓷母”之美稱，傳世僅此一件，彌足珍貴。它集中體現了當時高超的制瓷技藝，展現了當時頂尖的制作工藝和海納百川的文化自信，同時也為中國瓷器文化和世界瓷器文化的繁榮與發展做出了巨大貢獻。