These rare tall round bottle-shaped Famille noir porcelain vases of unusual proportions called by the Chinese a water chestnut form, bi qi zun, are elaborately decorated with overglaze enamelled representations of the flowering plants of the four seasons namely prunus for winter, peony for spring, lotus for summer and chrysanthemum for autumn as well as two beautifully painted pheasants, one in the branches and the other on a rock, all on a green-black background. Such pheasants are symbolic of literary refinement. The flowers represented symbolize beauty, wealth, purity and steadfast friendship. The slightly compressed globular body surmounted by a tall wide, slightly flared chimney neck, the whole atop a high ring foot. The base is sunken, glazed and marked with six Kangxi character marks in black. On the base of one of the pots was found a Chinese inscription on paper which reads: “A treasure from the study of the Qing Emperor Kangxi. The black vase was made from black crystal in various colours of pearls, jade, silver and copper. It is an imperial treasure. From Shangai Xingzhong Museum. Travelling to various places for happiness and wealth”.