The Shenyang Imperial Palace Museum, in celebration of its 100th anniversary of establishment, has specially curated “A Nation in Treasures—Selected Masterpieces Marking the Centenary of the Shenyang Imperial Palace Museum”. The exhibition showcases the museum’s finest collection, and has received support from the Liaoning Provincial Museum, the Chengde Mountain Resort Museum in Hebei Province, and the Zhenjiang Museum in Jiangsu Province. Two precious artifacts from the Liaoning Provincial Museum are included in the exhibition: the Ming Dynasty blue-and-white garlic-head vase with intertwined floral patterns, and the blue-ground fahua double-eared vase carved with colored floral patterns, which have been exhibited at the Shenyang Imperial Palace Museum since August 12.

The blue-and-white garlic-head vase is uniquely exquisite, with a wide, garlic-head-shaped mouth, constricted neck, sloping shoulders, and a rounded belly. Its entire body is decorated with underglaze blue, the color of which is rich and vibrant, and the patterns are all intertwined lotuses. The blue-ground fahua double-eared vase has a long neck, sloping shoulders, a bulging belly that tapers towards the base, and two symmetrical handles on the sides of the neck, with smooth and elegant lines. Its entire body is covered with a sapphire blue glaze, the color of which is warm and serene. This vase is carved with stretching flowers and leaves through techniques such as duihua (applied-relief decoration) and openwork, resulting in rich layers of decoration, and a strong three-dimensional effect. These two pieces showcase the exquisite ceramic craftsmanship of the Ming Dynasty, embodying a plain and elegant aesthetic, and possessing extremely high artistic value.