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Lot Essay
The ewer is well-proportioned with a globular body supported on a short foot, carved on each side depicting Zhang Qian seated on a raft, his belongings suspended from a gnarled branch above his head, floating down a fast-flowing river. The cover is carved with ruyi-form clouds below a lotus bud finial, covered overall with a smooth, clear greyish-green glaze.
The story of an immortal sailing on a raft was first recorded in the Jin dynasty classic Bowu Zhi. In the Sui and Tang dynasties, the tale of Zhang Qian’s raft voyage spread widely, reflecting the literati’s ideal of transcending the mundane world. The present ewer stands as a perfect example of such ideals being integrated in porcelain creation.
Compared with ewers of the Tang dynasty, those of the Five Dynasties period exhibit more intricate construction; their spouts are slender and elongated, making them more practical for use. A nearly identical Northern Song ‘Zhang Qian sailing on a raft’ Yue ewer, excavated in Wenzhou in 2005 and housed in the Wenzhou Museum, is illustrated in Focus on the Treasures-Wu’s Culture Heritage Reimagined, Beijing, 2025, pp.6-19. Compare to another Northern Song dynasty Yue ewer, also with Immortals design, but of slightly smaller size, from the Capital Museum, Beijing, see Zhongguo Meishu Quanji: Taoci, Vol.2, Shanghai, 1988, no.126 (fig. 1). Compare also a similar Yue ewer carved with peony scrolls in the Umezawa Gallery, Japan, illustrated in Mayuyama, Seventy Years, Vol. 1, Tokyo, 1976, p.117, no.336; and a Five dynasties Yue ewer in the Palace Museum, Beijing, without a cover, collection number: gu 00142989.
The story of an immortal sailing on a raft was first recorded in the Jin dynasty classic Bowu Zhi. In the Sui and Tang dynasties, the tale of Zhang Qian’s raft voyage spread widely, reflecting the literati’s ideal of transcending the mundane world. The present ewer stands as a perfect example of such ideals being integrated in porcelain creation.
Compared with ewers of the Tang dynasty, those of the Five Dynasties period exhibit more intricate construction; their spouts are slender and elongated, making them more practical for use. A nearly identical Northern Song ‘Zhang Qian sailing on a raft’ Yue ewer, excavated in Wenzhou in 2005 and housed in the Wenzhou Museum, is illustrated in Focus on the Treasures-Wu’s Culture Heritage Reimagined, Beijing, 2025, pp.6-19. Compare to another Northern Song dynasty Yue ewer, also with Immortals design, but of slightly smaller size, from the Capital Museum, Beijing, see Zhongguo Meishu Quanji: Taoci, Vol.2, Shanghai, 1988, no.126 (fig. 1). Compare also a similar Yue ewer carved with peony scrolls in the Umezawa Gallery, Japan, illustrated in Mayuyama, Seventy Years, Vol. 1, Tokyo, 1976, p.117, no.336; and a Five dynasties Yue ewer in the Palace Museum, Beijing, without a cover, collection number: gu 00142989.