Technical virtuosity, aesthetic innovation, and an informed reverence for the forms and decoration of ceramics from earlier periods characterize the finest porcelain manufactured during the first four or five reigns of China's last imperial dynasty, the Qing (1644-1911). This beautiful monochrome vase, datable to the reign of the second and perhaps greatest Qing emperor, Kangxi (r. 1662-1722), features a splendid glaze of deep red that the Chinese describe as langyaohong and some Western connoisseurs as oxblood.
Pierpont Morgan amassed a large collection of some 1,800 pieces of Chinese porcelain, which was sold after his death through the dealer Duveen Brothers. This is the only piece that remains at the Morgan.