Sleeve vase, anonymous, c. 1635 - c. 1650
In the mid-17th century the Dutch East India Company took great pains to buy vases painted in clear blue tints with scenes full of trees and rocks alternating with Chinese figures. This ware is known as ‘Transitional porcelain’, since it was made in the period of transition from the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) to the Qing dynasty (1644–1911).