A RARE CARVED QINGBAI PEAR-SHAPED EWER

YUAN DYNASTY

Details

A RARE CARVED QINGBAI PEAR-SHAPED EWER
Yuan Dynasty
The shoulder applied on each side with a phoenix in flight above a narrow bowstring band and a broad band of petal lappets rising from the thick, flared pedestal foot, the carved and molded dragon handle and the curved spout issuing from a dragon's jaws joined by a foliate band executed in beaded outline below a band of upright leaf tips, all under a glaze of pale blue tone
10in. (26.7cm.) high

Lot Essay

Compare the very similar ewer, with cover, in the collection of The Art Institute, Chicago, illustrated by Margaret Medley, Yan Porcelain and Stoneware, London, 1974, pl. 10. This type has been dated to the first quarter of the 14th century, and according to Medley, 'the slip appears to have been roughly applied to conform broadly in outline with the proposed elements and has been tidied up with some careful tool work.'

Another example, with elaborate detailing is illustrated in Sekai toji zenshu, Tokyo, 1981, vol. 13, p. 56, no. 42.