A FINE AND RARE 'YAOZHOU' PEAR-SHAPED VASE JIN DYNASTY

of elegant pear-shaped form with a long waisted neck elegantly flaring to a broad mouth, supported on a short foot, covered all over in a warm celadon glaze suffused with an attractive crackle, the glaze wiped to a brownish-green at the base and foot

Muwen Tang Collection.
Sotheby's London, 12th November, 2003, lot 40.
Tsui Museum of Art, Hong Kong. 

Song Ceramics from the Kwan Collection, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1994, cat. no. 92.

This vase is in good condition, but does have some minor firing flaws including a (approx. 1.4cm by 4mm) shallow chip to the interior of the foot. There is a fine network of crackle to the glaze throughout.
"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."

Elegant for its subtle glaze and slender form, Yaozhou vases of this type are extremely rare. The plain, undecorated surface highlights the luminescence of the slightly crackled glaze which is displayed to full effect on its understated yuhuchun shape. Yaozhou glazes of this type are generally dated to the Jin period and provide a striking contrast with its vibrantly carved and olive-green glazed counterparts for which the wares are typically known. Upright shapes of any kind are very rare among the large-scale production of the main Yaozhou kilns. A closely related excavated vase, but lacking the crackle, , is published in Yaozhou yao/Yaozhou Kiln, Xi'an, 1992, (unnumbered plate); and another was included in the exhibition Yoshuyo/The Masterpieces of Yaozhou Ware, Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka, 1997, cat. no. 103.

Vases of this attractive form, but carved with floral designs and coated in an olive glaze, include two smaller examples excavated from the Yaozhou kiln sites at Huangpu near Tongchuan in Shaanxi province, illustrated in Songdai Yaozhou yaozhi/The Yaozhou Kiln Site of the Song Period, Beijing, 1998, p. 292, fig. 148: 1 and 2, col. pl. 8, fig. 2 and pl. 77, fig. 4, the larger one probably illustrated again in Yaozhou yao/Yaozhou Kiln, op. cit., (unnumbered plate); another excavated at Huachi county, Gansu, and now in the Gansu Qingyang Region Museum, published as an 'excellent example of Yaozhou ware' in Zhongguo taoci quanji [Complete series on Chinese ceramics], Shanghai, 1999-2000, vol. 7, pl. 126; and a third example, included in several exhibitions including Yoshuyo/The Masterpieces of Yaozhou Ware, op. cit., cat. no. 75, and sold in these rooms, 11^th May 2011, lot 2.