Are these vases porcelain or earthenware?

Both. The Chinese and Japanese entries are porcelain, and together they account for roughly half the category. Delft, faience and maiolica are tin-glazed earthenware, painted in blue on an opaque white glaze rather than under one. Delft alone is about one in seven titles.

How often do pairs come up?

Pairs are named in close to a third of titles, so they turn up steadily rather than occasionally. Larger groupings are scarcer. The record holds a five-piece delft garniture with its original lids and one collection of seven Japanese Imari vases offered together.

What period do most of them date from?

The 19th century dominates. Fifty-one listings are filed under it, against a handful given as 18th century and eight as 17th. The dated field runs 1700 to 1940 overall, with decade-level entries clustering in the 1900s, 1920s and 1890s.

Which shapes appear most in the titles?

Baluster leads among the Chinese and Japanese pieces, followed by bottle, sleeve, beaker, double gourd and meiping. Delft brings its own vocabulary: octagonal chinoiserie forms, ribbed beakers, lidded baluster vases and the occasional tiered tulipiere.

Do any come from outside China, Japan and Holland?

Yes, though in ones and twos. Spanish Talavera, Italian Savona, French faience, Swedish transferware and Persian Qajar pottery each appear. One-offs include a garlic-mouth vase in underglaze blue with copper red, and a pair of Iznik-style vases made in Belgium.

Size is stated often enough to count as a category habit, with "large" in a fifth of titles. The biggest measured examples run to 58 inches high and 60.5cm, described as floor standing or monumental, and they sit at the top of the range.

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Antique Blue and White Vases

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Vases painted in cobalt under a clear glaze, made in China, Japan and Europe for display on mantels and in cabinets, singly, in pairs and in matched sets.