Description: The ”Daya zhai” / ”Studio of the Greater Odes” mark is strongly associated with Empress Cixi. Despite not being able to identify such a workshop, a wooden plate with the inscription ”天地一家春” (”The whole world celebrating as one big family”) was found in the imperial workshops, destroyed at the beginning of the 20th century. Normally deemed to be a standard of quality in the manufacturing of imperial porcelain, the ”Daya zhai” porcelain continued to be manufactured through the final years of the Qing Dynasty. The present set appears to belong to a group of vases bearing the classic ”Daya zhai” palette, dating back to the beginning of the 20th century. The turquoise and red glaze combination of the seal creates a hypnotic effect and the design uses the compositions of floral and bird-shape motifs characteristic of Empress Cixi.