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Lot Essay
The form of this rare vase is based on a jade ritual object, cong, that has a cylindrical core and a square exterior, such as the jade cong dating to the Neolithic period, Liangzhu culture, in the Nanjing Museum, included in the exhibition, China: 5,000 Years, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, 1998, pl. 5. Such artifacts were enthusiastically collected by the educated elite of the Northern and Southern Song dynasties, prompting the production of contemporary vessels in bronze and glazed stoneware based on the antique prototypes.
A qingbai cong-form vase dated Yuan dynasty, late 13th-early 14th century, raised on an integral square base and decorated with vertically oriented arabesque scroll down the center of each side, was excavated in Sichuan province and is illustrated in Zhongguo taoci quanji, vol. 16, Song Yuan qingbaici, Shanghai and Tokyo, 1984, pl. 128. See, also, the qingbai cong-form vase of slightly smaller size (15.5. cm.) and lacking the integral stand, from the Emmanuel Christofides Collection, included in the sale Instinct & Knowledge: A Life in the Company of Song Ceramics; Bonhams London, 15 May 2025, lot 6.
A qingbai cong-form vase dated Yuan dynasty, late 13th-early 14th century, raised on an integral square base and decorated with vertically oriented arabesque scroll down the center of each side, was excavated in Sichuan province and is illustrated in Zhongguo taoci quanji, vol. 16, Song Yuan qingbaici, Shanghai and Tokyo, 1984, pl. 128. See, also, the qingbai cong-form vase of slightly smaller size (15.5. cm.) and lacking the integral stand, from the Emmanuel Christofides Collection, included in the sale Instinct & Knowledge: A Life in the Company of Song Ceramics; Bonhams London, 15 May 2025, lot 6.