One of a pair of Ming dynasty Fa-hua type porcelain grottos. The grotto depicts Shoulao, an Immortal, on a rocky mountain before the center of another pierced rocky mountain on a rectangular base. The fa-hua pedestals and grottos are glazed with aubergine and turquoise. Fahua is a term applied to stoneware and porcelain decorated with colored lead glazes - mainly dark blue, turquoise and aubergine kept from intermingling by raised ridges like cloisons which outline the pattern.
Credit
The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. Gift of Florence M. Quinn
