Taiwan, Year of the Pig cover,

A mail from Taiwan arrived with an abundance of nice stamps. Year of the pig for my lunar new year collection and Blue & White porcelain stamps for my BW ceramic collection.

A) Stamp :

1.  Ewer with sprays of fruits and floral scrolls decoration in underglaze blue, Qianlong reign, Qing dynasty (NT$15): This porcelain is short necked and pear shaped. There is a handle on one side, and a spout on the opposite side. There is a banana-leaf pattern on the neck, and on the shoulder a design of twisted branches and passion flowers. There are diamond-shaped enclosures on both sides of the ewer’s belly, with either peaches or loquats centered within and surrounded by peonies, passion flowers and other cut flowers.
2. Tea bowl in underglaze blue with imperial poem San Qing, Qianlong reign, Qing dynasty (NT$12): This cup has a flared rim and is entirely painted in underglaze blue. On both the interior and the exterior of the bowl, around the rim and near the foot, there are blue ruyi patterns on a white background. Written on the body of the bowl is a poem named “San Qing Tea” by Emperor Qianlong. The center of the interior is decorated with plum blossoms, pine trees, and Buddha’s hands, which are the three ingredients of the tea (“san qing” means “three cleansing ingredients”).
3. Vase with eight auspicious treasures in underglaze blue, Qianlong reign, Qing dynasty (NT$16): This vase is short necked and round shouldered with a pair of round handles. There is a pattern of winding branches and passion flowers on the vase’s neck and belly. Under the neck there is a grass pattern, and there are eight auspicious treasures supported by lotuses on the vase’s shoulders. Under the belly, there is a circular pattern of lotus petals.
4. Teapot with lotus scroll in underglaze blue, Qianlong reign, Qing dynasty (NT$13): This teapot has a round handle and is small on top and grows gradually bigger at the bottom, with its belly on the lower portion of the pot. It is decorated with flower scrolls in underglaze blue. The knob is painted with a single flower, while the lid is decorated with a band of ruyi patterns near the knob and a band of lotus scrolls. There are lines on either side of where the lid fits onto the pot. 
5.  Water-container in the shape of a plum blossom with fish and waterweed decoration in underglaze blue, Wanli reign, Ming dynasty (NT$6): This porcelain is in the shape of a five-petalled plum blossom. The inside of the container is filled with blue fish and waterweeds. The sides are decorated with three blue lines. The outside of the container features lingzhi mushrooms, eight auspicious treasures, and double blue lines under the lip.
6. Teapot with decoration of clouds and dragons in underglaze blue, Longqing reign, Ming dynasty (NT$8): The teapot features a short neck, a round and large belly, a curved spout and a square handle. The spout and the handle are decorated with lingzhi scrolls, the neck with a band of clouds, and the shoulder with twin dragons. Furthermore, on the body above a band of lotus petals are four different circular dragons, with patterns of lingzhi and the Buddhist “eight treasures” between them.
7. Bell-shaped bowl with underglaze-blue decoration of phoenixes among flowers, Xuande reign, Ming dynasty (NT$9): In Chinese this porcelain is of a type known as an “upside-down bell bowl” because of its shape. Both the outside of the bowl and the bottom of the inside of the bowl feature a pair of phoenixes, which are flying amid a pattern of lotus blossoms and entwined branches. A grass pattern encircles the inside of the bowl just under the lip. Blue lines can be seen at the mouth, foot and the inside bottom of the bowl.
8. Teacup in underglaze blue with decoration of gentlemen amid a landscape, Jiajing reign, Ming dynasty (NT$18): The cup has a wide rim, round body and short foot. Under the band of scrolls along the rim are two scholars sitting under a tree. One is turning his head to enjoy the lotus blossoms, while the other is appreciating the plum blossoms. There are also two servant boys. One is holding a musical instrument and the other a book. The bottom of the bowl’s interior is decorated with a man gazing at the moon by a lotus pond.

B)

B) Souvenir sheet :

(1)             Souvenir Sheet (NT$28): It takes as its subject “Celestial globe vase with decoration of dragon among lotus blossoms in underglaze blue, Yongle reign, Ming dynasty.” The vase features a straight neck and round belly, as well as a flat and slightly concave base, and takes its name for its supposed similarity to “celestial globes” (i.e. planets). The entire belly of the vase is covered with a three-clawed dragon that has turned his head amid lotus blossoms. His mouth is open, his tongue out, his teeth bared, and his eyes wide open, as his scale-covered body moves with great strides. He is the very picture of a powerful beast.

Thank you Fungstamp!