A Fine Yuan Celadon Ware Vase, Longquan Kilns, Yuan Dynasty 1279 – 1368.
A fine small Yuan celadon ware vase, late 13th to mid 14th century, Longquan kilns, Zhejiang Province. Based on a Chinese bronze form this small vase with a rich thick green celadon glaze has a pair of handles with loops fired into position. Related vase were recovered from the Sinan Wreck of 1323.
SOLD
- Condition
- In excellent condition, there is a chip to the inside of the footrim
- Size
- Height : 16 cm (6 1/3 inches).
- Provenance
- A European Collection, Acquired Between 1965 - 1985.
- Stock number
- 103
- References
- Related pieces were recovered from the Sinan Wreck of 1323. See : Special Exhibition of Cultural Relics Found off Sinan Coast, National Museum of Korea 1977, Samhwa Publishing Co, Seoul, Korea, plate 311.
Photos
Information
Celadon Ware :
Celadon is a term used to describe several types of Chinese stoneware and porcelain, as well a ceramics from other countries, notably from Korea and Japan. The term is a imprecise one, applying to various types of green glazed ceramics, but not all ceramics with green glazes, there are several wares that have a green glaze that are not refereed to as celadon. For example Green Jun and Ge Ware. For this reason there has been a move to try to clarify the situation by using the term `Green Ware`. But for now Celadon is a more familiar and therefore useful term. The origins of the term Celadon are not clear, one theory is that the term first appeared in France in the 17th century and that it is named after the shepherd Celadon in Honoré d`Urfé`s French pastoral romance, L`Astrée (1627), who wore pale green ribbons. (D`Urfe, in turn, borrowed his character from Ovid`s Metamorphoses.) Another theory is that the term is a corruption of the name of Saladin, the Ayyubid Sultan, who in 1171 sent forty pieces of the ceramic to Nur ad-Din, Sultan of Syria. Yet a third theory is that the word derives from the Sanskrit sila and dhara, which mean “stone” and “green” respectively. Celadon ware originated in Zhejiang Province in the Eastern Han Dynasty, however green monochrome glazes can be found on stoneware much before that date. Zhejiang is were the famous Longquan Celadons were made but Celadon wares were also produced at Jiangsu, Hubei, Hunan and Jiangxi. The production of Celadon Ware required a reducing atmosphere of around 1300 degrees C., the colouring agent was a mixture of iron oxide and titanium. The glaze was applied very thickly, and was full of tiny bubbles which defuse the light giving the appearance of richness and softness. Celadon ware originated in Zhejiang Province in the Eastern Han Dynasty, however green monochrome glazes can be found on stoneware much before that date. Zhejiang is were the famous Longquan Celadons were made but Celadon wares were also produced at Jiangsu, Hubei, Hunan and Jiangxi. The production of Celadon Ware required a reducing atmosphere of around 1300 degrees C., the colouring agent was a mixture of iron oxide and titanium. The glaze was applied very thickly, and was full of tiny bubbles which defuse the light giving the appearance of richness and softness.
The Sinan Wreck of 1323
A large merchant vessel pulled up anchor at Qingyuan Port (now Ningbo City) in Zhejiang Province of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) and left on a voyage to the Port of Hakata (now Fukuoka) in Japan in 1323. The trade ship, estimated to be 34 meters long and 11 meters wide, was loaded with Chinese ceramics, wooden lacquerware and metal crafts, but it never reached its destination -- it foundered off the southwest coast of Sinan, South Jeolla Province.
