AN EXCEPTIONAL AND EXTREMELY RARE CELADON APPLIQUE-DECORATED 'DRAGON' VASE YUAN DYNASTY

exquisitely applied overall with a rich green glaze with attractive bluish-green tinge, superbly potted with an ovoid body sweeping up to a tall cylindrical neck and a flattened everted mouthrim, applied with a pair of handles each in the form of a sinuous and boldly articulated makara, or fish-dragon, all supported on a pronounced splayed foot, the body divided into two registers, the main body boldly applied with a pair of ferocious four-clawed dragons depicted writhing amidst ruyi­-shaped clouds above tempestuous waves in pursuit of a 'flaming pearl', below a band of incised lotus petal lappets, divided by a raised fillet studded with eight florets, the neck decorated with two registers separated by a raised fillet, the upper register with stylised 'flaming pearls', the lower register with stylised swirling scrollwork, the stepped base glazed and encircled by an unglazed footring burnt orange-brown in the firing

An old Japanese collection, prior to the 19th century.
Collection of the Tokugawa family (box).

The protruding lower sections of both handles have been restored (approx. 3.5 cm). The vase is otherwise in overall fairly good condition with only some occasional underglaze body lines and pinpricks. The actual colour is slightly less yellowish than the catalogue illustration.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

In its unusual form and abundance of ornamentation, the present piece reflects the spirit of experimentation that characterised the Yuan decorative arts and the attempt to compete with the rising popularity of blue-and-white through inventive forms of embellishment. In their radical break with the Song tradition of plain and simple forms, often totally devoid of decoration, the potters of the Yuan dynasty invented a completely new aesthetic. Longquan vases so richly applied with sprig-moulded motifs are extremely rare and the present vase, which represents this style at its most mature state, may be unique.

As a direct result of the newly-established foreign Mongol rule in China, craftsmen were freed from the Southern Song ideals of restraint and order and encouraged to incorporate outside influences specifically to comply with the tastes of their numerous overseas customers. It is no coincidence that two of the largest collections of high-quality 14th century Chinese ceramics are found in the Topkapi Saray, Istanbul, and the Ardabil Shrine, Iran. Craftsmen experimented with different combinations of forms and designs from various kilns in China, seen in the form of this vase. The high shoulder and tapering body on a splayed foot, for example, are comparable to Cizhou baluster vases, such as one decorated with a four-clawed dragon, in the Nelson-Atkins Museum, Kansas, illustrated in Nelson Gallery of Art, Atkins Museum, vol. II, Kansas City, 1973, p. 84.

Longquan celadon vases decorated with applied dragons are very rare; see a pear-shaped example of similar size, the four-clawed dragon facing right and chasing a flaming pearl over similarly rendered crashing waves, included in Celadons from Longquan Kilns, Taipei, 1998, pl. 162; and a guan with a three-clawed dragon, published in Zhongguo meishu quanji. Taoci [Complete series on Chinese art. Arts and crafts section: ceramics], vol. 3, Shanghai, 1988, pl. 55, and Wenwu, 1980, no. 9, pp. 90-91, where it is illustrated and discussed. Compare also a guan carved with a related motif of a four-clawed dragon, included in the exhibition Östasiatisk Keramik ur med. dr. Bo Ewerts samling, Röhsska Konstslöjdmuseet, Gothenburg, 1971, cat. no. 41, and sold in our London rooms, 24th July 1973, lot 56. The creatures are reminiscent of those found on underglaze-blue painted porcelain of the period; see the four-clawed dragons on the famous pair of dated temple vases, from the collection of Sir Percival David and now in the British Museum, London, illustrated in Oriental Ceramics. The World’s Great Collections, vol. 6, New York, 1982, col. pl. 25, one of the pair previously sold in our London rooms, 6th June 1935, lot 89, from the collection of Charles E. Russell.

S-shaped fish-dragon handles were introduced at the Longquan kilns in the late Song period, when we see them similarly flanking the neck of mallet vases. On the present piece, the craftsmen have depicted the animals’ faces and scaly bodies with an impressive level of detail and exaggerated the original sinuous form through tails which curl up to meet the body, thus creating a more baroque effect than in the Song dynasty. The way the dragons aim for the flaming pearl on the upper register of the neck emphasises the dynamism of this vase. Compare a mallet vase with similarly detailed dragon handles, but closer to the austere Song shape, from the collection of Enid and F. Brodie Lodge and the British Rail Pension Fund, sold twice in our London rooms, 8th July 1975, lot 91, and again, 12th December 1989, lot 93. It is highly unusual to find the applied bosses around the shoulder of a vase, which are more commonly seen on drum-shaped narcissus basins, where they imitate the nails that hold the drum skin in place.