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THE ROGER BELANICH COLLECTION OFLONGQUAN CELADON CERAMICS (LOTS 3001-3009)The Equal of JadeRosemary Scott, International Academic Director Asian Art‘Where do these exquisite porcelains come from? These heavenly products are greatly loved.With their lustrous, glossy appearance they are the equal of jade. With these green-glazed censers standing here,big bronze tripod censers hold no attraction.’－ 14th century Japanese monk-poet「窯瓷精緻何處來，括蒼所產良足愛，滑潤光生與玉侔，青爐峙立厭鼎鼐」。（日本十四世紀的詩僧）Longquan celadons are prized for the refined beauty of their glazes, which combine a range of subtle green colours with delicate translucency and soft texture. The name applied to these celadons does not come from a specific kiln site. Instead Longquan is the market town in southern Zhejiang province to which the ceramics were brought for sale and distribution. To a large extent Longquan celadons inherited the legacy of the stonewares produced at the Yue kilns in the same province, and in the Northern Song period the Longquan kilns produced wares very similar to Yue. However, in the Southern Song period, no doubt influenced by the refined tastes of members of the elite, who accompanied the new Southern Song court when it settled at Hangzhou, the Longquan kilns began to develop a high-quality soft green celadon glaze, that was to prove hugely popular both in China and overseas. This classic Longquan ware has a lime-alkaline glaze – in contrast to the Yue and Yaozhou glazes which were lime glazes, which is more viscous than the Yue glaze, and is usually thicker and richer in appearance. Some of the components in the Longquan glaze are less soluble than those in the Yue glaze, and remain intact after firing. These, together with gas bubbles, cause the delicate translucence typical of Longquan glazes.The Longquan glaze was perfected during the Southern Song period, but the wares expanded in production in the Yuan dynasty. Indeed, as the Yuan dynasty progressed, production rose to such an extent that some 300 kilns were active in the Longquan region. These kilns ranged across a significant area from the Dayao 大窯, Jincun 金村 and Xikou 溪口 kiln complexes in the west, whichhad been prominent in the Southern Song dynasty, to those further east on the Ou 甌江and Songxi 松溪 rivers. These rivers facilitated the transportation of the ceramics to other parts of China as well as to the ports of Quanzhou 泉州 and Wenzhou 温州, for shipment abroad. New shapes and styles of decoration were introduced, and pieces of impressive size began to be made at the Longquan kilns. While some of the larger pieces, such as the large dishes, were probably initially inspired by the requirements of patrons from Western Asia, these and other large forms came to be appreciated by patrons in both West and East Asia. Fine Longquan celadons were especially popular in Japan, and a Longquan lidded celadon jar was found in the grave of Kanazawa Sada-aki ( 金沢貞顕1278-1333) in the grounds of the Shomyoji 称名寺Temple. The Shomyo-ji the temple itself, which is believed to have been set up by H Sanetoki ( 北条実時1224-76) during the Kamakura period, still has in its collection two large Longquan celadon vases and a large incense burner with applied relief decoration. Other major Japanese temples, such as the Engaku-ji 円覚寺and Kencho-ji 建長寺at Kamakura also still use celadon vases preserved in the temples since the Kamakura (AD 1185-1333) and Muromachi (AD 1333-1573) periods.In the early Ming dynasty the celadon-glazed wares from the Longquan kilns remained popular, both within China and as export wares to other parts of Asia. It is also clear that some of the ceramics made at the Longquan kilns were being made for the court, under the supervision of government officials sent from the capital. Significantly, juan 194 of the 大明會典Da Ming Huidian states that in the 26th year of the Hongwu reign [AD 1393] some imperial wares were fired at the Rao and Chu kilns – i.e. at Jingdezhen in Jiangxi and at the Longquan kilns of Zhejiang. 洪武二十六年定 , 凡燒造供用器皿等物 , 須要定奪樣制 , 計算人工物料 ‘ 如果數多 , 起取人匠赴京置窯興工 , 或數少 , 行移饒 , 處等府燒造In volume one of the 明憲宗實錄Ming Xianzong Shilu it is noted that Emperor Xianzong ascended the throne in the eighth year of the Tianshun reign [AD 1464] and after the Chenghua reign began in the following year, an amnesty was declared. It was also noted that the officials sent by the government to supervise ceramic production at the Raozhou kilns of Jiangxi province and the Chuzhou kilns of Zhejiang province were required to return to the capital as soon as they received the imperial edict. Of the ceramics in production, those which had been completed should be registered, and work on those which had not been completed should cease. Failure to comply with the edict would be regarded as a crime. This makes it clear that there was official production at the Longquan kilns as late as 1464 - the beginning of the Chenghua reign. The Longquanxian zhi 龍泉縣志 (Gazetteer of Longquan County) noted that: ‘After the Cheng[hua] and [Hong]zhi reigns [1465-1506], the form [of Longquan wares] became so crude and the colour so unappealing, that they were no longer fit for those of elegant tastes.’ 成治以後 , 質粗色惡 , 難充雅玩矣. The highpoint of production for post-Song Longquan celadons may therefore be seen as ending in the latter part of the 15th century. In the Southern Song period the two most popular forms of decoration on Longquan wares were the carving of overlapping petals around the exterior of bowls and dishes, and the application of sprig-moulded elements under the glaze on the interior of open wares. The translucent glaze softens the features of this sprig-moulded decoration, which is usually in the form of fish or dragons, while also providing a suggestion that they are in water. These decorative techniques and themes were continued into the Yuan dynasty, as can be seen from the large (D: 42.3 cm.) dish in the current sale, which bears two sprigmoulded dragons on the interior (Lot 3007). It is rare to have two sprigmoulded dragons, rather than a single dragon with clouds. However, a smaller (D: 37.3 cm.) Yuan dynasty dish, similarly decorated with two sprig moulded dragons is illustrated by Zhu Boqian in Celadons from Longquan Kilns, Taipei, 1998, p. 222, no. 204. The illustrated dish is, however, decorated with winged dragons and lacks the sprig-moulded flaming pearl of the current dish. It also lacks the fluently carved scrolling decoration in the cavetto of the current dish. A Yuan dynasty Longquan celadon dish (D: 35.7 cm.) with carved scrolling in the cavetto and a single sprig-moulded dragon and flaming pearl is also in the current sale (Lot 3005). The dragon is particularly crisply moulded and has a dynamic pose, suggesting that it is turning to grasp the flaming pearl. This was a popular theme on such celadon dishes in the Yuan period, and a slightly smaller (D: 34.8) Yuan dynasty dish of very similar design, although missing the sprig moulded flaming pearl, is illustrated by Zhu Boqian in Celadons from Longquan Kilns, op. cit., p. 223, no. 205. Further smaller dishes of this type with the same carved and sprig-moulded decoration were excavated from the cargo of the Sinan 新安 wreck, which foundered off the Korean coast off Sinan-gun, South Cholla province, in AD 1323 on its way from Ningbo 寧波 in China to Fukuoka 福岡 in Japan. One of the examples (D: 34.2 cm.) from this famous cargo was illustrated in the catalogue of the 2012 exhibition of items from the Sinan wreck 大元帆影：韓國新安沈船出水文物精華 Sailing from the Great Yuan Dynasty: Relics Excavated from the Sinan Shipwreck, Beijing, 2012, pp. 216-7. Further similar dishes were included in the catalogue of the original 1977 exhibition of pieces from the Sinan wreck - 新安海底文物, Seoul, 1977, exhibit 114 (D: 25.7) colour and black and white plates, and 115 (D: 33.4). Dishes of this design also found favour in Iran and Turkey, and similar dishes were amongst the Longquan celadons in the Ardebil collection - illustrated by T. Misugi, Chinese Porcelain Collections in the Near East – Topkapi and Ardebil, vol. 3, Hong Kong, 1981, no. A231 (D: 36.8 cm). Longquan dishes with variants of this design – some with additional clouds and some without a flaming pearl, and ranging in size from D: 27 cm. to D: 42 cm. - are in the collection of the Topkapi Saray – illustrated by J. Ayers and R. Krahl in Chinese Ceramics in the Topkapi Saray Museum Istanbul, vol. I, London, 1986, nos. 58-62.A slightly smaller dish of this type (D: 33.5 cm.) from the Eurmorfopoulos collection is illustrated by G. Manginis in China Rediscovered – The Benaki Museum Collection of Chinese Ceramics, Athens and London, 2016, pp. 72-3, no. 38. Two slightly larger dishes of this type are in the Percival David Collection, illustrated in Illustrated Catalogue of Celadon Wares in the Percival David Foundation, London, Revised edition 1997, no. PDF A219 (D: 38.1), which has two sprigmoulded clouds in addition to the dragon and flaming pearl, and PDF 248 (D: 37), which has two extended clouds, but no flaming pearl.A further Yuan dynasty Longquan celadon in the current sale accords in terms of form with items in the cargo of the Sinan wreck. This is a bowl which stands on a small foot ring and has sides which flare widely before constricting towards an in-turned mouth rim (Lot 3001). This form was popular in the Near Eastern in pottery from Sultanabad, but was also made in metalwork (see a12th-13th century Iranian bronze bowl of similar form in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, illustrated by M. Medley in Metalworkand Chinese Ceramics, Percival David Foundation Monograph Series No. 2, London, 1972, plate 15a). It is almost certainly the metalwork version of this form which provided the inspiration to the Chinese potters of both Longquan and Jingdezhen in the late Southern Song and Yuan dynasty. The bowl in the current sale is undecorated on the exterior, but has a flowering branch impressed on its interior. Bowls of this form with carved petals on the exterior are also known.As noted above, bowls of this form were excavated from the cargo of the Sinan wreck. Examples with undecorated exteriors are illustrated in the 1977 exhibition catalogue, op. cit., exhibit 20, colour and black and white plates, and reference plate 300, and in the 2012 exhibition catalogue, op. cit., p. 116 Similarly shaped bowls with carved petals on the exterior and carved scrolling on the interior were also found in this cargo. Illustrated in the 1977 exhibition catalogue, these include exhibits, 107, 108, 109 and reference plate 323, and in the 2012 exhibition catalogue, p. 187. A similarly shaped Southern Song dynasty bowl with petals around the exterior was excavated in 1960 at the site of the Longquan Dayao kiln (illustrated by Zhu Boqian in Celadons from Longquan Kilns, op. cit., p. 163, no. 134. A smaller, undecorated, bowl of this type, was excavated in 1974 from a Southern Song tomb dated to AD 1274 in Juzhou city Illustrated Zhu Boqian, ibid., p.167, no. 138. A late 13th century bowl of this form with carved petals on the exterior and carved scrolls on the interior is in the Percival David Collection (illustrated in Illustrated Catalogue of Celadon Wares, London, 1977 edition, plate VII, no. 70). The Percival David collection also has a small (D: 10.8) undecorated bowl of this type with crazed glaze, illustrated in Illustrated Catalogue of Celadon Wares in the Percival David Foundation, London, Revised edition 1997, no. PDF 252. Interestingly, the shards of a bowl of this type with carved petals on the exterior were found at the Egyptian site of Fustat (illustrated by Tatsuo Sasaki in Chuimei Ho (ed.) New Light on Chinese Yue and Longquan Wares, Hong Kong, 1994, p.330, fig. 1).One of the rarest Longquan celadons in the current sale is the Ming, Hongwu reign, cup stand (Lot 3003). A similarly sized Hongwu Longquan cup stand is illustrated in Chinese Ceramics in the Idemitsu Collection, Tokyo, 1987, no. 612, while another, purchased in Kyoto in 1959, was sold by Christie’s New York on 22 March, 2007, lot 291. A Longquan cup stand of the same shape and size, also dating to the Hongwu reign, is in the collection of the British Museum, London, and is illustrated by J. Harrison-Hall in Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, London, 2001, p. 486, no. 16:62. The British Museum example bears the same decoration as the current cup stand. The shape and carved decoration of these Longquan cup stands mirror that seen on underglaze painted porcelain cup stands excavated from Hongwu strata at Jingdezhen. A Hongwu cup stand with underglaze cobalt blue decoration was excavated in 1994 at Dongmentou, Zhushan, Jingdezhen (illustrated in Chang Foundation, Imperial Hongwu and Yongle Porcelain excavated at Jingdezhen, Taipei, 1996, no. 17). Like the Longquan cup stands, the one from Jingdezhen has a classic scroll around the flattened rim and has a similar floral scroll encircling the central ring, which is also decorated with a narrow petal band. Inside the central ring, the Jingdezhen cup stand has a single peony flower, rather than the single chrysanthemum bloom seen on the Longquan examples. The Jingdezhen example was found in association with a relatively shallow, straight-rimmed cup (illustrated ibid., no. 18), and it isprobable that the Longquan cup stands were intended to be used with cups of a similar form. Such cups could have been used for either wine or tea.While the basic form of these cup stands appears to have endured into the Yongle reign at the Jingdezhen kilns, excavated examples from the Yongle strata lack the raised central ring, while the cups that accompany them are fluted, rather than straight-rimmed as in the Hongwu reign. One each of these underglaze blue decorated cups and cup stands, excavated from the Yongle strata at Jingdezhen in 1994, is illustrated in Chang Foundation, Imperial Hongwu and Yongle Porcelain excavated at Jingdezhen, Taipei, 1996, nos. 55 and 56. The provenance of a massive and exceedingly fine Ming Hongwu Longquan celadon dish or charger, with bracket-lobed rim, in the current sale, (Lot 3006) emphasises the admiration for these impressive Chinese celadon wares in Japan. This charger was in the Kuroda Family Collection from the 16th century, and was passed down through the generations until the 20th century. The large dish dates to the second half of the 14th century, during the reign of the Hongwu emperor, when this bracket lobed form was at its height of popularity.In the mid-14th century, during the period when the Mongols ruled China as the Yuan dynasty, the kilns producing Longquan celadons and those producing porcelain at Jingdezhen adapted some of their finest ceramics to accommodate the tastes of patrons from the west of China’s borders - either those currently resident in China or those who received Chinese ceramics as gifts or as part of the export trade. One of the shapes that appeared at both kiln sites was the large dish with bracket-lobed rim. In the Yuan dynasty the large dishes with bracketlobed rims made at the Jingdezhen kilns did not have lobed sides, although a small number of those from the Longquan kilns did. A large Yuan dynasty dish with bracket-lobed rim and lobed sides from the collection of the Longquan Celadon Museum 龍泉青瓷博物館 is illustrated in Longquan Celadon of China 中國龍泉青瓷, Hangzhou, 1998, pl. 120. It is notable, however that the lobes are not so well defined as those on the current dish. Towards the end of the Yuan dynasty the large dishes made at both the Longquan and the Jingdezhen kilns were more frequently made with simple flattened rims, without lobing. However, with the advent of the new Ming dynasty and the new impetus for ceramic production in the Hongwu reign bracket-lobed rims reappeared at both kilns, and with the added feature of lobing to the sides that conformed to the shape of the rims.Smaller Yuan dynasty versions of this form with central decoration are amongst the Longquan dishes in the Ardebil collection (D: 37.6) illustrated by T. Misugi, Chinese Porcelain Collections in the Near East – Topkapi and Ardebil, vol. 3, Hong Kong, 1981, no. A 232, which has a moulded central motif; and also in the cargo of the Sinan wreck illustrated in the 1977 exhibition catalogue, op. cit., exhibit117 (D: 33.6 cm.).A large early Ming dish of this form, but with carved decoration, from the collection of the Topkapi Saray Museum, Istanbul is illustrated by R. Fujioka and G. Hasebe in Ceramic Art of the World, vol. 14, Ming Dynasty, Tokyo, 1976, no. 131 (D: 55.5 cm). It is arguable, however, that the rich glaze and fine potting of the current dish is better appreciated due to the lack of additional decoration.It may be that the size, elegant form and colour of another massive dish in the current sale (Lot 3008) can also be better appreciated without the distraction of decoration. While the flattened rim of the previous dish would have offered some protection against warping, the straight rim of this magnificent dish would not, and only the potter’s skill in throwing the dish so evenly allowed successful firing. A large dish of similar form and size, but with carved decoration, is in the collection of the British Museum, London. It is illustrated by J. Harrison-Hall in Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, London, 2001, no. 16:64, where the author also notes that the firing of such large dishes posed a great challenge for the potters, as firing them without warping would have been very difficult. She also notes that these extremely large dishes were used a serving dishes at banquets in Western Asia and because of their size would have been excessively heavy when laden with food.It seems probable that this massive Longquan dish was made at the kilns at Chuzhou, which produced ceramics for the imperial court in the early Ming dynasty. Similar vessels have been excavated at the imperial kilns at Chuzhou (illustrated in Da Ming Chuzhou Longquan guanyao, Hangzhou, 2005, p. 254, no. 6. A similarly massive and undecorated Longquan dish of this type from the collection of the National Palace Museum is illustrated in Green – Longquan Celadon of the Ming Dynasty, Taipei, 2009, pp. 90-1, no. 41. A further large Longquan dish of this type is illustrated in Wenwen yu se zhao ci ou: Longquan yao qingci yishu 温温玉色照瓷甌—龍泉窯青瓷藝術, Beijing, 2012, no. 112. Another massive undecorated Longquan celadon dish of this type from the collection of the Idemitsu Museum of Arts is illustrated in Gen Min no Toji, Tokyo, 1977, no. 157. A further undecorated large dish of this type was sold by Christie’s Hong Kong on 29 May, 2007, lot 1478. One of the large early Ming dishes of this form, but bearing carved decoration, from the collection of the Topkapi Saray, Istanbul, is illustrated by R. Fujioka and G. Hasebe in Ceramic Art of the World, vol. 14, Ming Dynasty, Tokyo, 1976, no. 130. A particularly elegant vertical form in the current sale is the early Ming dynasty pear-shaped vase yuhuchunping with carved gardenia梔子decoration (Lot 3002). More generously proportioned pear-shaped vases with slender necks and trumpet mouths became popular at the Longquan kilns in the latter part of the Yuan dynasty, but were usually undecorated. A plain pear-shaped vase of this type was excavated in 1985 from a Yuan dynasty hoard at Gongren Road, Yiwu city (illustrated in Complete Collection of Ceramic Art Unearthed in China, vol. 9, Zhejiang, Beijing, 2008, no. 229), while an undecorated Yuan dynasty pearshaped vase of slightly narrower profile was excavated in 1984 from a hoard at Hecheng, Qingtian County (illustrated in Complete Collection of Ceramic Art Unearthed in China, vol. 9, Zhejiang, Beijing, 2008, no. 211). Indeed, this pearshaped vase form was very popular during the Yuan dynasty, and it is interesting to note that not only blue and white and copper red and white porcelain vases of this type made at Jingdezhen, but qingbai-glazed yuhuchunping were found amongst the vessels in the cargo of the Sinan wreck, and illustrated in the 1977 exhibition catalogue, op. cit., exhibits 158, 159, 160, 161. Interestingly, a bronze yuhuchunping was also found in the cargo of the Sinan wreck (illustrated ibid., exhibit 291).In the early Ming dynasty the centre of gravity of vases of this form moved fractionally lower down the body, which developed more generous proportions, and a number of pear-shaped vases from this period bear carved decoration. An early Ming dynasty Longquan yuhuchunping of similar size and shape as the vessel in the current sale, but with grape vines in the major decorative band, is in the collection of the British Museum, London (illustrated by J. Harrison-Hall, Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, op. cit., no. 16:36). A further vase with identical decoration to that in the British Museum is in the Meiyintang collection (illustrated by R. Krahl, Evolution of Perfection: Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, London, 1996, vol. 1, cat. No. 94). A similar celadon vase decorated with floral scrolls from the Ardebil collection is illustrated by J. A. Pope in Chinese Porcelains from the Ardebil Shrine, Washington, 1956, pl. 129, cat. No. 29.652. A similar vase, which was later adapted to serve as a ewer and is still embellished with Ottoman silver-gilt handle and foot mount, as well as having a hole drilled for a spout, and has lotus as the main decorative motif around the body, is in the collection of the Topkapi Saray, Istanbul (illustrated by J. Ayers and R. Krahl in Chinese Ceramics in the Topkapi Saray Museum Istanbul, vol. I, op. cit., no. 223. A Longquan pear-shaped ewer of similar profile to the current vase is in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing. The ewer is illustrated in 中國文物精華大全 – 陶瓷卷 Zhongguo wenwu jinghua daquan - Taoci juan, Taipei, 1993, p. 406, no. 812, where it is dated to the Yongle reign. Two early Ming undecorated pear-shaped Longquan vases in the National Palace Museum are illustrated by Tsai Mei-fen (ed.) in Green - Longquan Celadon of the Ming Dynasty, Taipei, 2009, pp. 102-105, nos. 49 and 50. Further early Ming pearshaped Longquan celadon vases, with various floral scrolls or fruiting branches or vines in the main decorative band, from the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei, are also illustrated by Tsai Mei-fen, op. cit., pp. 106-121.The floral decoration on the current vase, however, is of an especially rare type, as it appears to depict a flowering gardenia in the main decorative band, and no other Longquan pear-shaped vase decorated with this flower appears to have been published. This particular flower did not come to prominence at the Jingdezhen kilns until a little later in the 15th century, when it appeared on underglaze blue decorated dishes with yellow ground in the Xuande and Changhua reigns. A Xuande example was excavated in 1984 from the Xuande stratum at Zhushan Jingdezhen (illustrated by the Chang Foundation in Xuande Imperial Porcelain excavated at Jingdezhen, Taipei, 1998, p. 89, no. 88). A Chenghua example in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei is illustrated in Catalogue of the Special Exhibition of Ch’eng-hua Porcelain Ware, Taipei, 2004, p. 106, no. 88.Another rare early Ming dynasty Longquan vessel in the current sale is the large lobed bowl with bracket lobed rim (Lot 3004). While the majority of the decoration on this bowl is carved, the centre of the interior has a moulded fourpetalled flower with a Chinese character in each petal reading: jinyu mantang (May you have a prosperous household). Smaller bowls of this form with carved decoration were made in the 14th century during the Yuan dynasty. A 14th century bowl of this form with carved decoration on the exterior and on the interior walls, and with an impressed floral medallion in the centre of the interior is in the Percival David Collection, illustrated in Illustrated Catalogue of Celadon Wares in the Percival David Foundation, London, Revised edition 1997, no. PDF 274 (D: 17.3 cm). A Yuan dynasty petal-lobed bowl, decorated with carved landscape) (D: 22.8 cm.) is in the collection of the Beijing Palace Museum, illustrated in 中國文物精華大全 – 陶瓷卷 Zhongguo wenwu jinghua daquan -Taoci juan, Taipei, 1993, p. 357, no. 630.An early Ming dynasty bowl of the same shape and larger size as the current vessel, and also decorated with carved floral sprays on the exterior, is in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei and is illustrated in Green - Longquan Celadon of the Ming Dynasty, op. cit., pp. 70-71, no. 28, while a slightly smaller example from the same collection is illustrated ibid., pp. 72-73, no. 29. A further bowl of this size, shape and decoration in the collection of the Topkapi Saray, is illustrated by J. Ayers and R. Krahl in Chinese Ceramics in the Topkapi Saray Museum Istanbul, vol. I, op. cit., p. 360, no. 493. A similar, if slightly smaller, bowl is in the collection of the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco and is illustrated by He Li in Chinese Ceramics, New York, 1996, p. 202, no. 357.The final rare Longquan celadon vessel in the current sale to be discussed here is the rare early Ming dynasty pomegranate-shaped vase with turned-down mouth rim (Lot 3009). This shape may have appeared in Chinese ceramics at the end of the Yuan dynasty or at the beginning of the Ming dynasty, and is probably linked to the rise in popularity of Tibetan Buddhism. A smaller (H: 20 cm), undecorated, vase of this form, formerly in the Franks Collection, is now in the British Museum, London, illustrated by J. Harrison-Hall, Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, op. cit., no. 16:33. Harrison-Hall notes that the shape of the mouth with applied bosses relates to a number of Tibetan brass and copper vessels in the museum’s collection. It does seem probable that the Longquan form was developed due to inspiration from Tibetan metalwork. A Longquan vase of this form in the collection of the Palace Museum Beijing shares with the current vase the feature of having a floral scroll around the body of the vessel. In the case of the Beijing vase this is a chrysanthemum scroll – in contrast to the peony scroll on the current vase – but otherwise the decorative scheme is very similar. The Beijing vase is illustrated by Ye Peilan in Yuandai ciqi, Beijing, 1998, p. 259, no. 447. Two Longquan vases of this form, but with their decoration divided into panels, are in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei, and illustrated in Green - Longquan Celadon of the Ming Dynasty, op. cit., pp. 148-151, nos. 75 and 76. A vase of this form, also with its decoration divided into vertical panels alternately filled with flowers and fruit, is illustrated in Toji Taikei (Heibonsha series), Tokyo, 1978, no. 88. This is a particularly interesting group of Yuan and early Ming dynasty Longquan celadons, which includes pieces which are not only rare, but were also most probably made for the court of the early Ming emperors.

A RARE LONGQUAN CELADON BOWL

YUAN DYNASTY (1279-1368)

Details

A RARE LONGQUAN CELADON BOWL
YUAN DYNASTY (1279-1368)
The bowl is thickly potted with rounded sides flaring from a foot ring to an inverted rim, the centre is impressed with a blossoming, leafy branch within a single line border, covered overall with an even glaze of sea-green tone.

7 1/8 in. (18.1 cm.) diam., Japanese metal cover, Japanese wood box

Provenance

Sold at Christie’s New York, 19 March 2008, lot 558

Brought to you by

Sibley Ngai

sngai@christies.com +852 2978 9955

Lot Essay

The distinctive shape of this bowl, with a small foot ring and a wide, inturned mouth rim, is based on a Middle Eastern prototype common to both pottery and metalwork. For a Persian bronze bowl dating to the 12th-13th century, shown alongside a Longquan bowl of corresponding form, see M. Medley, Metalwork and Chinese Ceramics, London, 1972, p. 45, pl. 15 a and b.

A Longquan bowl of very similar shape, but subtly carved with vertical petals on the exterior, is illustrated in Celadons from Longquan Kilns, Taipei, 1998, p. 163, no. 134. A number of Longquan bowls of this form, also carved with petals on the exterior, were excavated from the wreck of a merchant ship that foundered off the coast of Korea in AD 1323 on its way to Japan. See Special Exhibition of Cultural Relics Found off the Sinan Coast, Seoul, 1977, nos. 107-9.

This bowl is particularly elegant, as the plain, uncarved sides show off the sea-green colour of the glaze to its best advantage.

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