A SUPERB 'LONGQUAN' CELADON BOTTLE VASE, YUHUCHUNPING YUAN DYNASTY

the elegantly proportioned pear-shaped body rising from a splayed foot, sweeping up to a tall waisted neck and an everted rim, covered overall in an even sea-green glaze thinning at the rim, save for the unglazed footring fired to a buff-orange tone

A Japanese private collection, by repute.

This elegantly potted vase is of an attractive celadon tone. The rim has a small area of minor bruise, and some very minute glaze flakes. 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.
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Notable for its fine potting and rich celadon glaze, this elegant vase displays the Longquan potter’s continued efforts in the Yuan dynasty to attain pure glazes and refined shapes. With the unification of China under Mongol rule in the 13th century and subsequent intensification of trade exchanges with the rest of Asia, the potters at Longquan in Zhejiang province quickly adapted their repertoire of shapes and designs to the aesthetic taste of the new dynasty. In stark contrast to the large and profusely decorated vessels characteristic of this period, a small number of delicately potted and undecorated pieces such as the present piece were made. These closely followed those of the preceding dynasty, such as the vase from the Charles B. Hoyt Collection, in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, illustrated in Basil Gray, Sung Porcelain & Stoneware, London, 1984, pl. 141.

Longquan yuhuchunping of this attractive shape and fine glaze are rare, although a vase of similar form and size but fashioned with a subtly stepped foot, was excavated from a hoard at Sunpingcun, Taishun county, Zhejiang province, and illustrated in Zhu Boqian, ed., Celadons from Longquan Kilns, Taipei, 1998, pl. 160. Three further excavated examples are published in The Complete Works of Chinese Ceramics, vol. 10, Shanghai, 2000, pls 27, 28 and 30; and a slightly larger vase is illustrated in Sekai toji zenshu/Ceramic Art of the World, vol. 13 Tokyo, 1981, pl. 174. Compare also a yuhuchunping covered in a similar glaze but with ferruginous brown spots, in the Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka, included in Ataka korekushon Tōyō tōji meihin ten [Oriental ceramics from the Ataka Collection], Tokyo, 1978, cat. no. 50, and again illustrated in Ye Peilan, Yuandai ciqi [Yuan dynasty porcelain], Beijing, 1998, pl. 499.

Yuhuchunping continued to be made at Longquan in the Ming dynasty with slight variation to the form with the globular body becoming broader and the neck less elongated. Their size also increased with most examples measuring slightly above 30 cm; see for example two undecorated yuhuchunping attributed to the Ming dynasty, included in the exhibition Green-Longquan Celadon of the Ming Dynasty, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2002, cat. nos 49 and 50.