The David Vases

The David Vases, 1351 (Yuan dynasty), porcelain, cobalt and clear glaze, 63.6 x 20.7 cm each, Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, China (British Museum)
Speakers: Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker
. Created by Beth Harris and Steven Zucker.

[@ironguanyin123]

Translation of the inscription on David Vases： Zhang Wenjin, from Jingtang community, Dejiao village, Shuncheng township, Yushan County, Xinzhou circuit, a disciple of the Holy Gods, is pleased to offer a set comprising one incense burner and a pair of flower vases to General Hu Jingyi at the Original Palace in Xingyuan, as a prayer for the protection and blessing of the whole family and for the peace of his sons and daughters. Carefully offered on an auspicious day in the Fourth Month, Eleventh Year of the Zhizheng reign. (Source: Neil MacGregor. 2012. A History of the World in 100 Objects. London: Penguin Books. P. 353)

[@rustyw5842]

Wow, this is one of your best videos yet! I know almost nothing about Chinese history and porcelain. In less than 5 minutes, you explained how porcelain is created, where the materials come from that make the blue and white of 'china' - including a reminder that the ancient world traded broadly - and the names of two dynasties that ruled large parts of Asia. The last part of the video describing specific attributes of these gorgeous 'vah-zes' was the cherry on top!

[@oltedders]

@Rusty W You're obviously NOT from the U.K. so you're purposely being pretentious by mispronouncing vase(s). Smartass.

[@rustyw5842]

@@oltedders guilty as charged. :)

[@ironguanyin123]

Excellent but would have been better if you explained what the floral motifs meant. Normally peonies mean wealth and prosperity, as they only grow in rich people's courtyards and gardens. There are peaches I think which means longevity - they relate to peaches in heaven, which takes 3000 years to blossom, 3000 years to become fruit and 3000 years to ripen, so if you eat one you'll never die. However there are some seashell motifs at the bottom and I have no idea what they mean. Dragons and phoenixes are common symbols but normally associated with the royal family.

[@marthavillegas6250]

Yes, exquisite. 💙

[@sebolddaniel]

Awesome.

[@peroz1000]

Exquisite.

[@Vangolovesart]

Thanks interesting

[@theminer2856]

are you pronouncing the word vases wrong or no

[@smarthistory-art-history]

Vase can be correctly pronounced in American English as "vaase" or "vahse."