Yuan dynasty's 'qingbai' & 'longquan' celadon @ Sotheby's

A carved 'qingbai' 'dragon' vase (meiping). Yuan dynasty. photo courtesy Sotheby's

the baluster body boldly carved with a large dragon amidst foaming waves, all between a lotus lappet band at the base and a floral scroll encircling the shoulder - height 10 7/8 in., 27.6 cm. Est. 40,000—60,000 USD. Lot Sold 40,625 USD

NOTE: Vases of this type are quite precisely datable since several examples are known from dated archaeological sites. A closely related pair of 'Qingbai' meiping with covers unearthed at Wannian county, Jiangxi province and dated to 1324 AD is illustrated in Dated Qingbai Wares of the Song and Yuan Dynasties, Hong Kong, 1998, pl. 97; compare another meiping of this type and design in the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, illustrated in Timothy Potts (ed.), Kimbell Art Museum. Handbook of the Collection, Fort Worth, Texas, 2003, p. 197, upper left. An example of this type from the Plesch collection, was sold in these rooms, 12th July 2006, lot 47; a vase of larger proportions formerly in the Toguri Museum of Art, Tokyo, was also sold in these rooms, 9th June 2004, lot 58.

A 'longquan' celadon biscuit 'twin fish' basin. Late Yuan / early Ming dynasty. photo courtesy Sotheby's

the interior carved with waves surrounded by peony sprays on the cavetto, two molded biscuit fish applied to the well - diameter 12 1/2 in., 31.8 cm. Est. 12,000—15,000 USD. Lot Sold 20,000 USD

PROVENANCE: Collection of Sarabel Florsheim.
Sotheby's New York, 31st March 2005, lot 104.

A 'longquan' celadon-glazed vase. Yuan dynasty. photo courtesy Sotheby's

the shoulder with a pair of elephant-head handles suspending fixed rings, covered overall with a bluish-green glaze - height 8 1/4 in., 21 cm. Est. 7,000—9,000 USD. Lot Sold 17,500 USD

PROVENANCE: Peter Boode, London.
Carl Kempe Collection.
Sotheby's London, 5th November 2008, lot 574.

LITERATURE AND REFERENCES: Bo Gyllensvard, Chinese Ceramics in the Carl Kempe Collection, Stockholm, 1964, pl. 153.

A 'longquan' celadon-glazed stemcup. Late Yuan / early Ming dynasty. photo courtesy Sotheby's

the deeply rounded sides flaring at the rim, supported on a ribbed stem, applied overall with a rich celadon glaze - height 3 1/2 in., 8.3 cm. Est. 3,000—5,000 USD. Lot Sold 5,000 USD

NOTE: A very similar stemcup is illustrated in John Ayers, The Seligman Collection of Oriental Art, 1954, vol. II, pl. LXI, no. D187

A small 'longquan' celadon octagonal cup. Yuan dynasty. photo courtesy Sotheby's

each facet of the exterior set with a biscuit figure, against a thick celadon glaze - width 3 in., 7.6 cm. Est. 4,000—6,000 USD. Lot Sold 4,375 USD

PROVENANCE: The George de Menasce Collection.
Spink & Son, London.
Christie's New York, 11th July 2006, lot 479.

Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art. 23 Mar 2010. New York www.sothebys.com