青花鬼谷子下山罐

元，公元14世纪中期

Blue and white porcelain - the painting of diluted cobalt oxide on to porcelain and covering it with a transparent shiny glaze - was a development of the Yuan dynasty.  The technique was rapidly perfected as witnessed by the beautifully drawn and complex scene on this vase.  It shows a story from Warring States history concerning a conflict between the states of Yan and Qi.

Image thanks to Christie's