A RARE ‘LONGQUAN’ CELADON JUE CHENGHUA MARK AND PERIOD

of archaic bronze shape, the U-shaped body supported on three legs in the form of a recumbent horse, a monkey and a wasp on a low base, rising to a widely flaring rim extended to one end forming the spout, the exterior decorated with dragons pacing amongst floral scrolls beneath a trellis band, flanked by a pair of gilt and brown-dressed coiled dragon handles, applied overall with a sea-green glaze, the grey base with a six-character reign mark reading Chenghua nian Longquan zao and burnt to an orange tone, wood cover and Japanese wood box

Tokugawa Family Collection, Baishu Province, Japan.
Tokyo Bijutsu Club, 7th November 1921, lot 173.

The vessel is in good condition with the exception of restoration to one handle, two small glaze rim chips and a 5mm., wide glaze chip to the front edge of the stand.
"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."

Vessels of this type and incised with a Chenghua reign mark are rare, although a closely related example from the J.C. Dragon II collection, was sold several times at auction, twice in these rooms in 1961 and 1968, in our Hong Kong rooms in 1996, and twice at Christie’s Hong Kong, in 1997 and most recently, 30^th November 2011, lot 2891.

Longquan celadon jue are more commonly known without the animal support but of the original tripod form; see one in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Green-Longquan Celadon of the Ming Dynasty, Taipei, 2012, pl. 111; another, in the collection of Chang Loo Peng, included in the exhibition Chinese Celadons and Other Related Wares in Southeast Asia, National Museum, Singapore, 1979, cat. no. 253; two sold in our New York rooms, the first from the collection of C. Oswald Liddell, 11^th May 1978, lot 166, and the second, 18^th June 1980, lot 358; and a single jue, sold in these rooms, 15^th June 1982, lot 264.

The present lot is steeped in auspicious symbolism. Jue vessels, which first appeared as a bronze sacrificial wine vessel in the Erlitou culture (1900-1500 BC), are symbolic of high rank and ancestral worship, which is reinforced on the present piece through the monkey (hou), wasp (feng) and horse (ma), which are homophonous with the phrase manshang fenghou (May you immediately be conferred the rank of marquis).