A ‘Yue’ celadon-glazed ewer, Five Dynasties period

J.A.N. Fine Art, London.

An ineffable mix of sea-foam green, sky blue and ash grey, the tactile and enthralling glazes of the Yue kilns of Zhejiang province were among the first to be used as imperial tributes in the 9th century. While similar ewers are among the classical shapes attested at the Yue kiln sites - the glaze's non-toxic ingredients leading to the ware's frequent use in food service - examples of this remarkable colour and balanced composition are rare. Compare a very closely related ewer of this form preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing (accession no. 新00059662); and another, without shoulder loops, now preserved by the Ningbo Cultural Relics Management Committee, illustrated in Chūgoku tōji zenshū [Complete collection of Chinese ceramics]. vol. 4: Gaku kama [Yue wares], Kyoto, 1981, pl. 139.