Vase with scenes of Li Bai enjoying wine

The complex representation on this piece is divided into three large main pictures paralleled by three friezes above and two below. Three scenes, each framed with a lobed border, tell the story of the famous poet Li Bai (c. early 8th century) appreciating the moon, drinking in a garden, and sleeping drunk. Li is said to have possessed a superior poetic talent, a great and tameless spirit, and the fantastic mental traits of a transcendent mind. Legend has it that Li drowned in the river as he attempted to swim while drunk, seeking to embrace the reflection of the moon in the water. The pictures here, representing three things associated with Li—the river, the moon, and wine—reflect the poet's enchanting personality.