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Lot Essay
This type of Yue ewer is exceptionally rare. Only a handful of published examples are known, with varying decoration of foliate roundels as seen on the present ewer, birds or parrots, or no decoration. Even rarer, and perhaps unique, is that it has survived together with its corresponding basin.
A Yue ewer of similar form, incised with twin parrot medallions and foliate decoration, in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, is illustrated by S. Valenstein in A Handbook of Chinese Ceramics, New York, 1975, p. 78, no. 72a, and also on the Musuem’s website. (Fig. 1) The Met ewer also exhibits the same whitish kiln adhesions on the base as those seen on the present ewer. (Fig. 2)
Other Yue ewers of similar shape and with similar foliate roundels include a ewer and cover illustrated by R. Krahl in Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, vol. 1, London, 1994, p. 181, no. 312, and a ewer exhibited by J. J. Lally & Co. in Early Chinese Ceramics, An American Private Collection, New York, 2005, no. 47.
See, also, the very similar Yue ewer and cover with incised medallions and foliate motifs under a degraded glaze, from Zhengjiang city, Jiangsu province, illustrated in Zhongguo taoci quanji: 6, Tang, Wudai (The Complete Works of Chinese Ceramics: vol. 6, Tang and Five Dynasties), Shanghai, 2000, no. 147, where another Yue ewer of this form without cover and lacking incised decoration, from Cixi city, Zhejiang province, is illustrated, no. 164.
The results of Oxford Authentication Ltd. thermoluminescence test no. P202a23B is consistent with the dating of the basin.
A Yue ewer of similar form, incised with twin parrot medallions and foliate decoration, in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, is illustrated by S. Valenstein in A Handbook of Chinese Ceramics, New York, 1975, p. 78, no. 72a, and also on the Musuem’s website. (Fig. 1) The Met ewer also exhibits the same whitish kiln adhesions on the base as those seen on the present ewer. (Fig. 2)
Other Yue ewers of similar shape and with similar foliate roundels include a ewer and cover illustrated by R. Krahl in Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, vol. 1, London, 1994, p. 181, no. 312, and a ewer exhibited by J. J. Lally & Co. in Early Chinese Ceramics, An American Private Collection, New York, 2005, no. 47.
See, also, the very similar Yue ewer and cover with incised medallions and foliate motifs under a degraded glaze, from Zhengjiang city, Jiangsu province, illustrated in Zhongguo taoci quanji: 6, Tang, Wudai (The Complete Works of Chinese Ceramics: vol. 6, Tang and Five Dynasties), Shanghai, 2000, no. 147, where another Yue ewer of this form without cover and lacking incised decoration, from Cixi city, Zhejiang province, is illustrated, no. 164.
The results of Oxford Authentication Ltd. thermoluminescence test no. P202a23B is consistent with the dating of the basin.