Lotus bouquet

一把莲

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The motif of Yi Ba Lian 一把莲 is also called ‘yi shu lian’ (一束莲). It is presented as ‘a ribbon-tied bouquet of lotus in bud, full bloom, and seed pods accompanied by leaves, with or without some other water plants such as arrowheads’. The earliest example of this design can be traced back to those found on Yaozhou ware potted in the Song dynasty (960–1279).

The motif of blue-coloured lotus (青莲 qing lian) has gradually become a pun rebus for the meaning of ‘being uncorrupted’ (清廉 qing lian) in Ming and Qing dynasties.

Related motif:

Lotus (He Hua) 荷花

Acknowledgement:

Fig 1: Cizhou ware pillow with black lotus bouquet design on white ground, Northern Song (960–1127), courtesy of Shanghai Museum, China

Fig 2: porcelain charger with underglaze blue decoration, Yongle period (1403–24), Ming dynasty, courtesy of the Museum of East Asian Art (Cologne)

Fig 3: porcelain dish with underglaze blue decoration, Yongle period (1403–24), Ming dynasty, courtesy of the National Palace Museum, Taipei

Fig 4: porcelain dish with underglaze blue decoration, early Ming dynasty (14th-15th century), courtesy of Minneapolis Institute of Art

Fig 5: porcelain dish with underglaze blue decoration, 15^th century, Ming dynasty, courtesy of Tokyo National Museum

Fig 6: porcelain dish with underglaze blue decoration, Xuande period (1426–35), Ming dynasty, courtesy of Suzhou Museum, Jiangsu Province, China

Fig 7: lobed porcelain dish with underglaze blue decoration, Xuande period (1426–35), Ming dynasty, courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago

Fig 8: porcelain dish with underglaze blue decoration, Xuande period (1426–35), Ming dynasty, courtesy of Tokyo National Museum

Fig 9: porcelain dish with underglaze blue decoration, 18^th century, courtesy of Minneapolis Institute of Art

Fig 10-11: a pair of yellow ground dishes with underglaze blue decoration, Yongzheng period (1723–35), Qing dynasty, courtesy of Minneapolis Institute of Art

Fig 12: yellow ground dish with underglaze blue decoration, Yongzheng period (1723–35), Qing dynasty, courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago