The jar is potted with a short upright neck, broad rounded shoulders and a swelling body tapering towards the foot, supported on a foot rim. The neck is encircled by a band of floral scrolls in underglaze blue. The shoulder is covered with a lozenge-diaper ground reserved with four foliate cartouches enclosing further floral scrolls. A scrolling-foliage band separates the shoulder from the body, which is painted with large scrolling lotus, the blossoms fully opened amid gracefully curling stems. The lower body is encircled by a further band of scrolling lotus and leaves. The richly layered decoration and varied tones of cobalt blue exemplify the elaborate ornamental style of the Wanli period.

The base is inscribed in underglaze-blue regular script, 'Wanli Dinghai Nian Zao, Qian Fu Ying Yong', indicating that the vessel was made in the dinghai year of the Wanli reign, corresponding to 1587, for the use of the Qian residence. 'Qian Fu' is understood to refer to the residence of the Mu family, hereditary Dukes of Qian in Yunnan. In the early Ming dynasty, the founding general Mu Ying was appointed by the Hongwu Emperor to guard Yunnan, where his descendants subsequently inherited the title of Duke of Qian and exercised considerable military and administrative authority. Their residence became popularly known as the “Mu Prince’s Mansion” and is generally believed to have stood in the area of present-day Kunming.

The Mu family remained in Yunnan for nearly three centuries, from the early Ming until the fall of the dynasty, playing an important role in consolidating the southwestern frontier, promoting military agriculture and encouraging regional economic and cultural development. With both a dated inscription and a clearly identified patron, the present jar provides valuable material evidence for the study of porcelains commissioned for aristocratic households and of specialised Jingdezhen production during the Wanli period.

此罐短直頸，豐肩鼓腹，下腹漸收，底承圈足。頸部環飾青花花卉卷草紋一周；肩部滿飾菱格錦地，間設四處菱花形開光，內繪花卉卷草紋。肩腹之間以卷草紋帶分隔，腹部通景繪大型纏枝蓮紋，蓮花盛放，枝蔓迴旋舒展；近足處環飾纏枝蓮葉紋。整器紋飾繁密而層次分明，青花濃淡有致，展現萬曆時期華麗繁縟的裝飾風格。

底心以青花楷書「萬曆丁亥年造 黔府應用」款，表明此器製於萬曆丁亥年，即1587年，專供黔府使用。「黔府」應指雲南黔國公沐氏府邸。明初，開國功臣沐英奉明太祖朱元璋之命鎮守雲南，其後裔世襲黔國公，長期掌理雲南軍政，民間遂將其府邸尊稱為「沐王府」。黔國公府原址一般認為位於今雲南昆明市區一帶。

沐氏家族自明初至明末世鎮雲南近三百年，在鞏固西南邊疆、推行屯田及促進地方經濟與文化發展方面具有重要影響。此罐紀年及府邸用款俱全，不僅明確標示其製作年代與使用對象，亦為研究萬曆時期勳貴府邸用瓷及景德鎮定製瓷器提供了重要實物資料。

Reference:
Guizhou Provincial Museum, Guiyang, China, for another blue and white piece bearing this inscription. According to the text, it is the only known example with this inscription.