MING DYNASTY XUANDE BLUE AND WHITE DRAGON AND PHOENIX VASE
Ming Dynasty Imperial six character marked and period Xuande Dragon and Phoenix Vase. The Vase has a Dragon and Phoenix amongst Lotus scrolls. A slip of  whitish glaze before applying the cobalt decorations. The Xuande six character mark is written on the shoulder of the Vase. The Vase has rich 15th century color with the blackish tone. The vase has a slight bluish tinted glaze which is typical on Xuande blue and white. The Shallow foot ring was wiped with the glaze and has some biscuit flush. The glaze has uneven bubbles and tiny pits which is typical in Xuande blue and white. The heaping and piling effect can also be seen. Xuande blue and white porcelain was very innovative in styles and forms. The imported 14th and 15th century sumali / su-ni-bo / smalt cobalt color is also very rich transparent blue with a blackish tone and is very distinct from the dull grayish purple domestic chinese cobalt. Xuande potters applied thin slip of glaze before applying the cobalt and usually they were unable to refine or grind the cobalt enough to eliminate the heaping and piling effect. The sumali / smalt cobalt would run uncontrollably and had to be mixed with Chinese domestic cobalt to stabilize it. Some say the sumali / smalt imported cobalt was not used after the 15th century but there are some 16th century pieces that us this cobalt. This beautiful color and tone of the imported cobalt could not be duplicated and this is very important to authenticate late 14th and 15th century blue and white. Very few photographs capture the different cobalt colors and tone correctly in the book by He Li Chinese Ceramics plate 409 and Sotheby 30 years in Hong Kong Plate 245, the blue color and tone are good examples of the color and tone when these two cobalt's were mixed together. Even today they are unsure which country in the middle east this cobalt was imported from. Many collectors believe Xuande blue and white to be fine and highly collectable. Measures 13 1/2 inches 34.25 cm. Tall.