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Lot Essay
The jar is boldly carved in high relief around the sides with a composite frieze of camellia, chrysanthemum, and peony, enclosed in panels divided by vertical bamboo ribs, between a band of mallow flower petals around the shoulders interrupted by a pair of applied lion-form handles, and above a broad band of slender leaves around the base. The neck is carved with a band of key frets. The jar is covered overall in a sea-green glaze with the exception of the foot.
The high-relief decoration on the present jar is remarkably crisp and strong, a feature rarely found on other Longquan vessels of this period. Compare to a Longquan meiping of the same period, carved with foliage enclosed in panels and set with mask-form handles from the Lindberg Collection, illustrated in Mostra d'Arte Cinese/Exhibition of Chinese Art, Venice, 1954, p. 128, no. 444; and a Yuan Longquan jar carved with seasonal flowers in slightly shallower relief, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 May 2022, lot 2849.
The high-relief decoration on the present jar is remarkably crisp and strong, a feature rarely found on other Longquan vessels of this period. Compare to a Longquan meiping of the same period, carved with foliage enclosed in panels and set with mask-form handles from the Lindberg Collection, illustrated in Mostra d'Arte Cinese/Exhibition of Chinese Art, Venice, 1954, p. 128, no. 444; and a Yuan Longquan jar carved with seasonal flowers in slightly shallower relief, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 May 2022, lot 2849.