A 'LONGQUAN' CELADON CONG VASE SONG DYNASTY

the body in the form of an archaic jade cong, of square section supported on a short waisted footring, rising to a flat shoulder and a broad tapering short neck, each corner carved with eight raised horizontal bands, within raised rectangular panels, covered overall with a rich bluish-green glaze, Japanese wood box

A Japanese Private Collection

The vase is in very good condition with the exception of two small glaze pulls to the neck (1 and 3mm., diam); four narrow glaze-pull lines at the shoulder (the largest 18mm); and one triangular glaze pull to the flat area of the base (5x3mm), and a slight lean to the upper body. Minor glaze firing imperfections.
"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."

Celadon vases of this form imitate archaic ritual jade objects in shape and colour and represent one of the most characteristic types of Song ceramics. They derive from jade cong, which are not shaped as containers but as open tubes, and are known particularly from the Neolithic Liangzhu culture in southeastern China. A fine jade example from the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, was included in the exhibition Gems of Liangzhi Culture, Hong Kong Museum of History, Hong Kong, 1992, cat. no. 57.

Several Longquan cong vases can be seen in famous collections throughout the world; one in the Shanghai Museum is illustrated in Longquan qingci [Celadon of Longquan], Beijing, 1966, pl. 15; another is published in the Illustrated Catalogue of Sung Dynasty Porcelain in the National Palace Museum. Lung-ch'uan Ware, Ko Ware and Other Wares, Kyoto, 1974, pls 8 and 9; another from the Eumorfopoulos collection and now in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, is included in John Ayers, Far Eastern Ceramics in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1980, pl. 124; and a fourth example from the Oppenheim collection and now in the British Museum, London, is published in Jessica Rawson (ed.), The British Museum Book of Chinese Art, London, 1992, pl. 8 (left). Compare also a vase of this type, from the Toguri collection, sold in our London rooms, 9th June 2004, lot 53; and another from the Baron Hatvany collection, included in the exhibition Song Ceramics, Southeast Asian Ceramic Society, Singapore, 1983, cat. no. 36, and sold in these rooms, 5th November 1996, lot 605. See also one sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 4^th April 2012, lot 3122, and one sold in these rooms, 5^th November 2014, lot 23.

The deep celadon glaze was a colour highly prized in Japan under the term 'kinuta celadon', after mallet (kinuta) shaped vases.