Meiping Cizhou Vase with Birds

This exquisite cizhou vase was made in the 19th century and is called a meiping vase. Meiping vases were traditionally used to hold the branches of plum trees which blossom in the midst of winter before the snow completely melts, and are celebrated in China as symbols of strength. Cizhou kiln is the great representative of folk kilns in the Northern part of ancient China and is well known as the locale where the traditional Chinese art of painting was first applied to porcelain.