Lot Essay
The octagonal sides and carved decoration of the present ewer appear to derive from metalwork. The faceted form in particular is a shape suited to metalworking, but which would have presented a considerable challenge to the potter.
It is rare to find this form in Yue ware, although a related qingbai octagonal ewer is illustrated in Mayuyama Seventy Years, vol. 1, Tokyo, 1976, p. 146, no. 426. Two related Yue ewers, one with a sketchily carved floral design which continues across vertical ribs and with a flaring neck, and the other with carved floral pattern and a lotus-petal finial, are also illustrated Mayuyama Seventy Years, vol. 1, op. cit. p. 117, nos. 335 and 336.
It is rare to find this form in Yue ware, although a related qingbai octagonal ewer is illustrated in Mayuyama Seventy Years, vol. 1, Tokyo, 1976, p. 146, no. 426. Two related Yue ewers, one with a sketchily carved floral design which continues across vertical ribs and with a flaring neck, and the other with carved floral pattern and a lotus-petal finial, are also illustrated Mayuyama Seventy Years, vol. 1, op. cit. p. 117, nos. 335 and 336.