Limited Masterworks Vase Looking east

It is no easy task to unite over three centuries of Meissen craftsmanship in a single work of art. With the design of the elaborately decorated vase "Looking East," Chinese artist Zhuoyu Hou has embraced this challenge with great artistic sensitivity. Issued in a strictly limited edition of 15 pieces, the vase celebrates the encounter of two cultures and places Meissen's tradition within a new, global context.

Three specialized porcelain painters were involved in the execution, and several firings were required to permanently fix the various painting techniques onto the porcelain. The form itself is already captivating: the vase's opening recalls the mouth of a fish, while its rounded body appears as though two layers were gently interwoven.

The outer layer features a delicate apricot-colored gradient combined with flower and insect painting inspired by the engravings of naturalist Sibylla Merian (1647-1717). This traditional decoration requires the finest brushwork and utmost precision, visible in the filigree blossoms and the translucent wings of the insects. At the lower edge of the vase, Merian herself appears, opening a window onto another world: through what may be the castle windows of Albrechtsburg in Meissen, one gazes upon a scene in the style of a Japanese woodcut. Traditionally dressed Asian women move through an East Asian garden landscape of bridges, rivers, and distant mountains.

This decorative scheme also pays homage to the chinoiserie of Johann Gregorius Höroldt (1696-1775), whose 250th anniversary is being honored by the Meissen Porcelain Manufactory with a series of works.

In Zhuoyu Hou's design, Meissen's tradition becomes a cultural bridge: an Asian perspective on Europe that reinterprets the historic connection between Meissen and China, while setting new impulses for dialogue between East and West.