Finely decorated with a large overall scene from the Shiji (Records of the Grand Historian) by Sima Qian (145-90 BC). The story takes place during the Shang dynasty during the reign of King Wu Ding. The King had a dream about a man the Heavens would send him for assistance. When he awoke he had a court artist create a painting with a likeness of the man, and then set in search for him throughout the Kingdom. He was found near a mill. This is depicted in this decoration with the man Fu Yue standing in front of the scroll with his likeness in the presence of the King
Height: 20 ½ inches (52 cm.)
Large vases with narratives are very rare. Another similarly sized vase (without cover) that includes this story is in the Butler Collection and illustrated and described: by Canepa and Butler: Leaping the Dragon Gate, The Sir Michael Butler Collection of Seventeenth-Century Chinese Porcelain, 2021, Fig. III.3.87a-d, Inv. 1569.
