Bottle-Shaped Vase
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
This vase is densely decorated with peonies, morning glories, lilies, and lotuses. Purple, yellow, and blue petals fill the surface, forming a continuous millefleur (thousand-flower) pattern. Each petal is delicately shaded to suggest volume and depth, creating a vivid yet orderly composition. The mouth is painted with gold pigment to imitate metal, evoking the appearance of copper-body-painted enamel as seen in Qing dynasty court art. Qing palace records indicate that vases with such patterns were used in everyday flower-viewing displays. In late Qing inventories, comparable examples were listed as furnishings for the emperor and his consorts.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own description
