A 'LONGQUAN' CELADON VASE SOUTHERN SONG DYNASTY

of well potted ovoid form rising from a slightly tapered foot to a cylindical neck flanked by a pair of tubular handles, applied overall with a pale bluish-green glaze with a dispersed crackle, the unglazed footrim burnt orange in firing

Sotheby's New York, 8th December 1980, lot 147.

The Exquisite Chinese Artifacts. Collection of Ching Wan Society, National Museum of History, Taiwan, 1995, cat. no. 74.

The Leshantang Collection of Chinese Porcelain, Taipei, 2005, cat.no. 3.

There is a small flake to the rim of one handle on the exterior, of approx 0.3 by 0.1cm. There is fritting to the rim on the interior of the mouth and two handles. Otherwise the vase is in good condition overall. The glaze has been fired to a slightly more greyish-brown tone than the catalogue suggests. There is a small glaze gap to the shoulder (not visible in the catalogue), of approx 0.4 by 0.2cm; and another above the rim of approx 0.7 by 0.3cm.
"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 celadon wares the soft green colour is obtained by firing a low concentration of iron in a strict reducing (de-oxidising) atmosphere. On larger items it is difficult to obtain an even green colour over the whole surface. The slightest oxidation may cause the colour to become brownish. The effects of partial and unintentional oxidation can be seen on the present vase, creating a soft contrast between green celadon and brown celadon colour. Longquan ware was made for the imperial court and for domestic use within China, but from the 12^th to the 15^th centuries it was also commercially important as a major type of Chinese export ware. The crackling on the vase suggests that it may have been imitating the imperial 'Guan' ware.

Larger vases of this form, probably made of bronze, were used for touhu, a 'pitch-pot' game. Touhu was usually a contest between players, who had to throw arrows into the mouth or tubular handles of the vase, which was placed at an equal distance between two mats on which the players knelt. This shape continued to be produced in the Longquan region well into the Yuan dynasty, and the vases themselves were made in a number of materials including bronze, cloisonné and ceramic. For a further discussion of the game see Isabelle Lee, 'Touhu: Three Millennia of the Chinese Arrow Vase and the Game of Pitch-pot', Transactions of the Oriental Ceramic Society, vol. 56, 1991-2, pp. 13-7.

A smaller Longquan celadon vase of the same form, formerly in the Idemitsu Museum of Arts, Tokyo, and now in the Meiyintang Collection, is published in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, vol.  Three (II), London, 2006, pl. 1569. One of similar size in the Percival David Foundation, London, is illustrated in Oriental Ceramics. World's Great Collections, vol. 6, Tokyo, 1982, no. 54.

A related larger vase with crackled glaze, but with visibly less oxidisation, and with shorter handles was sold in our London rooms, 17^th December, 1996, lot 44. A smaller Longquan vase with a smooth glaze was sold at Christie's New York, 1^st June 1990, lot 162; and two examples of this type were sold in our London rooms, 13^th June 1989, lot 189; and 21^st June 1983.