A MAGNIFICENT CARVED CELADON-GLAZED MEIPING

Details
A MAGNIFICENT CARVED CELADON-GLAZED MEIPING
QIANLONG SEAL MARK AND OF THE PERIOD

Finely carved around the body in shallow relief with three sinuous ferocious dragons amidst clouds between breaking waves around the base and bands of upright plantain leaves, key-pattern and ruyi lappets around the neck and shoulder, all under a fine and even pale sea-green celadon glaze
13 in. (33 cm.) high
Literature
The Tsui Museum of Art, Chinese Ceramics, vol. IV, pl. 34.
Exhibited
Splendour of the Qing Dynasty, Joint exhibition by the Urban Council, and the Min Chiu Society, Hong Kong Museum of Art, 1995/1996, Catalogue, pl. 210.

Lot Essay

No other vase of this shape and decoration appears to be recorded.

Compare the globular vase carved with dragons but under a light blue glaze in the Beijing Palace Museum, illustrated in Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong, p. 462, col. pl. 144. Other related vessels include a guan carved in shallow relief with dragons under a fine celadon glaze and bearing a Qianlong mark, illustrated by du Boulay, Christie's Pictorial History of Chinese Ceramics, p. 217, no. 8, from the Fonthill heirlooms, sold in Hong Kong, 17 May 1988, lot 75 and another illustrated in Zhongguo Meishu Quanji, vol. 3, Ceramics, p. 162, no. 192.
Related vessels with Qianlong marks carved in shallow relief with dragons amidst clouds under pale celadon glazes include a lantern jar and cover and gu vase in the Beijing Palace Museum, illustrated in Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong, pp. 460-461, col.pls. 142-143. The latter has bats among the clouds as does a related bottle vase with Qianlong mark under a pale celadon glaze, from the Stephen Junkunc III Collection sold in our New York Rooms, 21 September 1995, lot 241.
This vase is an excellent example of the effect that could be created by using the inaglio form of decoration on a monochrome porcelain vessel, the technique of adding elaborate crisp decoration of archaistic motifs densly placed around the body, the details highlighted by the translucent glaze pooling in the deeper recesses to provide a contrast of colour tone, creating two different shades of green from the same glaze, while simultaneously accentuating the finely detailed design.

(US$400,000-500,000)

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