The David vases

The long inscription gives this porcelain vase a date, 1351. Around it, blue decoration includes a dragon, and elephant heads form the handles. You can read the vase in two ways, following its painted forms and recognising that writing is part of the decoration. The blue lies beneath the glaze. The maker and painter had to work through stages of shaping, decoration and firing to produce the finished surface. The dated inscription gives this particular vase a firm place in the history of Chinese blue-and-white porcelain. It is one of the pair known as the David vases, in the collection assembled by Sir Percival David. The foundation gave the collection to the Museum in March 2025. Its earlier status as a long-term loan belongs to an earlier chapter. In Room 95, look from the small painted details to the tall outline and handles. The inscription belongs within that complete form, rather than sitting apart as a modern label.