Lustrous, Chinese Yuan Dynasty Period, blue & white phoenix motif porcelain octagonal double gourd vase. The Fine Chinese porcelain potted in a shape of octagonal double gourd resemblance, with two octagonal bellies conjoined together, octagonal lower section finishing into a slender bottleneck at the top, suspending cylindrical slightly octagonal neck, with a straight opening lip, raised on slightly short splayed foot base and slighty concave. All reserved in hand painting ornamentations, rendered in clean white under glazed ground color which contrast against the cobalt blue fine color. The main belly decorated with flying phoenix among flowers blooms, interlocking foliage and auspicious pattern. The Chinese phoenix is considered the representative of all feathered creatures. The phoenix is such an important bird in Chinese symbolism that we have a separate section dedicated to it, it is is put in the same section as dragons as the phoenix and dragon are paired, the dragon represents the Emperor and yang, the phoenix the Empress and yin. To use the name phoenix is a bit misleading as there is no legend in China about reincarnation from ashes as there is about the Egyptian mythical bird. In China it was a god of the winds. The vermillion red phoenix represents the most important of directions - south. In symbolism the dragon and phoenix together represent a married couple. The phoenix alone is a symbol of joy and peace, it heralds the coming of auspicious days just like the qilin. The underside unglazed, revealed the pale-creme groundand dark grayish brown spotted firing marks and edge-cut foot rim. The clay is very fine, with a brilliant glaze finish that was applied by a meticulous, the shape is uniformly proportioned. Dimensions: 10.875"L x 20.875"H PROVENANCE: From Private estate collections of Mrs. Ilene A. Champeau, (1943-present), For over 35 years, she shared her love of history as the owner of Victorian Lady Antiques.