A 'LONGQUAN' CELADON FUNERARY JAR SOUTHERN SONG DYNASTY

the elongated ovoid body rising to a rounded shoulder comprised of four tapering ridges and a short cylindrical neck with everted rim, carved around the body with two rows of overlapping stiff lotus leaves, the shoulder with further bands of petals and coiled around the shoulder with a large dragon modeled in high relief, the horned head with jaws open and grasping for a 'flaming pearl, the body impressed with scales and ridged back, covered overall with a soft bluish-green glaze, the footring and rim left unglazed and burnt orange in the firing, Japanese wood box

Sotheby's London, 11th December 1979, lot 211.

There is one chip and one hairline crack to the rim. The dragon head is missing the antler tips and the ends of the whiskers to one side. There is the expected wear to the surface.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

It is thought that funerary jars of this type were made in pairs, one bearing the 'Green Dragon' of the East and the other the 'White Tiger' of the West. A pair from the Percival David Foundation, London, is published in Margaret Medley, Illustrated Catalogue of Celadon Wares, London, 1977, pl. IV, no. 36, where Medley notes that these jars may have been filled with aromatic oils.

A related jar to the present example with its cover from the Avery Brundage collection in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco is illustrated in He Li, Chinese Ceramics, London, 1996, no. 281; another jar with similar ridges and coiled dragon in The Metropolitan Museum of Art is illustrated in Suzanne G. Valenstein,  A Handbook of Chinese Ceramics, New York, 1989, p. 105, no. 99. Compare also a jar and cover in the Indianapolis Museum of Art included in the exhibition Beauty and Tranquility: the Eli Lilly Collection of Chinese Art, Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, 1983, pl. 78. Many similar jars have been sold at auction one fairly recently in our London rooms, 14th May 2008, lot 312.