A large 'Longquan' celadon vase Yuan dynasty

the baluster body with generously rounded shoulders rising to a tall neck to a large trumpet mouth now cut down, subtly carved to the center with a broad frieze of six peony blossoms borne on a meandering stem between tall, slender upright lappets encircling the lower body and a series of concentric ribs accenting the neck, applied overall with a deep bluish-green glaze pooling in the recesses of the carved details above the unglazed foot burnt russet-orange in the firing, fitted at the rim a metal band and a gilt-metal trumpet mouth completing the original yen-yen form (2)

The neck has been reduced and now fitted with a metal band. The glaze is very thick with a network of crackles at the bottom section, with some small scratches to the surface. There is one chip to the base 1/2 inch wide by 3/4 inch tall, with an associated crackle. Another small chip to the base with associated 1/2 inch crack at the unglazed pared section of the base (seen in catalogue illustration). The color is less aqua than the catalogue image suggests. In good overall condition.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The present vase is rare for its glossy glaze of exceptional blue-green tone. Compare two similar vases also with their mouths reduced and decorated with peonies in the Topkapi Saray Museum, illustrated in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics in the Topkapi Saray Museum, vol. 1, London, 1986, nos. 204 and 205; and a third with similar astonishingly deep blue tone, but with a central lotus scroll, included in the Exhibition of Early Chinese Pottery and Sculpture, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1916, cat.no. 256, later sold in these rooms, 21st September 2006, lot 99. For a complete vase of this type in the Palace Museum, Beijing, see Longquan qingci, 1966, pl. 41.  Smaller and simpler examples have been found on a ship-wreck off Sinan, Korea, datable to about the third decade of the 14th century, included in the Special Exhibition of Cultural Relics found off Sinan Coast, National Museum of Korea, Seoul, 1977, cat.pl. 23.

'Longquan' wares with carved and molded decoration first appeared in the late Song dynasty and were produced in large quantities in the Yuan. They were assembled in sections and instead of having a base, the bottom section was closed with an inverted saucer-shaped piece of clay. Compare a similar shaped yen-yen vase in the Percival David Foundation, London, inscribed with the date corresponding to 1327, illustrated in Margaret Medley, Yuan Porcelain and Stoneware London, 1974, pl. 58.