A FINELY INCISED LONGQUAN CELADON 'LOTUS' MEIPING VASE MING DYNASTY, YONGLE PERIOD

robustly potted in an elongated ovoid form with a short narrow neck above broad rounded shoulders tapering sharply to the flared foot, deftly incised on the body with two lotus bouquets, each composed of large blooms, a large and a small leaf, a pod and other water plants, their stems all bent and tied with a ribbon, set between a camellia scroll collaring the neck, a lingzhi scroll draping the shoulders, and a lotus-scroll band and key-fret skirting the waist, all beneath a glossy deep yellowish-green glaze

Private Collection, France.
J.J. Lally & Co., New York.

Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, London, 1994-2010, vol. 4, no. 1608 and p. 2, fig. 1b.

The overall condition is very good with an even glaze balanced potting. The mouth rim has just a couple of minor glaze pulls.
"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."

The similarity of Longquan celadons and Jingdezhen white, and blue and white porcelains in the Hongwu and Yongle periods has long been recognized, but only recently have excavations at the Longquan kiln sites supported the notion that imperial wares might have been made at Longquan, commissioned by the court in Beijing; and an exhibition organized by Ts'ai Mei-fen at the National Palace Museum, Taipei, has since confirmed the existence of much fine Longquan celadon ware in the palace collection.

This meiping shape is characteristic of the Longquan kilns' production in the early Ming period, and an identical vase in the National Palace Museum, Taiwan, was included in the exhibition Bilü – Mingdai Longquan yao qingci/Green – Longquan Celadon of the Ming Dynasty, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2009, cat. no. 68. The incised decoration is closely related to motifs developed at the Jingdezhen kilns, although the same design does not appear to be known from that manufactory. Kiln wasters of many related vases and matching covers have been excavated from the imperial Longquan kilns at Chuzhou, Zhejiang province, see Ye Yingting and Hua Yunong, Faxian: Da Ming Chuzhou Longquan guanyao [Discovery: Imperial ware of the great Ming dynasty from Longquan in Chuzhou], Hangzhou, 2005, pp. 39-101.

Compare also a vase of similar form carved with peach branches from the Edward T. Chow collection, sold in our London rooms, 16th December 1980, lot 323, and another with flowering branches and bamboo, sold in these rooms, 8th April 2006, lot 733, both with designs echoing blue-and-white prototypes. The same shape is better known from undecorated celadon vases, see, for example, a piece from the Yokogawa collection in the Tokyo National Museum, published in Tōkyo Kokuritsu Hakubutsukan zuhan mokuroku. Chūgoku tōji hen/Illustrated Catalogues of Tokyo National Museum. Chinese Ceramics, Tokyo, 1988-90, vol. 2, pl. 486; and another from the collection of H.R.N. Norton in the exhibition Celadon Wares, Oriental Ceramic Society, London, 1947, cat. no. 104.