Page 22 - Chinese Ceramics the Linyushanren Collection Part 1 , Christie's

Lot 2804 Lot 2803 Lot 2807

Lot 2804 The forms of Jun wares were generally thrown on the wheel, or slab-made in the
A Rare Carved Longquan Celadon Vase and Cover case of pillows. There is, however, a significant group of pieces, comprising bulb
Lot 2803 bowls, flower pots and stands, where the vessel has been moulded using a double
A Very Rare CarvedYaozhou Petal-Rim Jar mould. A number of these vessels bear Chinese numerals stamped or incised into
Lot 2807 their bases under the glaze. The numbers range from one to ten, and judging from
A Rare Longquan Celadon Long-Necked Vase the examples in international museums and those examined from the excavations
at Juntai, Yuxian, the numbers relate to the size of the vessels - ten representing the
Lot 2806 smallest size and one the largest. Recent research by Chinese scholars has tended
A Longquan Celadon ‘Twin Fish’ Dish to support the idea that the vessels made using double moulds should be dated to
Lot 2817 the Jin-Yuan period, and that the numbered vessels should date to the Yuan or early
A Magnificent and Exceedingly Rare Ge Foliate Dish Ming dynasty.6 A significant number of these numbered vessels have survived in
palace collections and Jun ware bulb bowls, plant pots and plant pot stands can
be seen in court paintings dating to the Qing dynasty, when they were still being
used by the Imperial family. Among the numbered Jun wares in the Linyushanren
Collection is a narcissus bowl or plant pot stand with six petal lobes and a beautiful
lavender blue glaze on the interior and exterior (Lot 2812). This vessel has the
numeral si (four) on its base.

Amongst the most popular Chinese ceramics imported into Japan in the Song and
Yuan dynasties were Longquan celadons with their soft, translucent, bluish-green
glazes. These Longquan wares are well-represented in the Linyushanren Collection.
Longquan celadons are not named after a specific kiln site, but after the market
town in southern Zhejiang province to which the ceramics were brought for sale and
distribution. Essentially Longquan celadons inherited the legacy of the stonewares
produced at the Yue kilns, and in the Northern Song period the Longquan kilns
produced wares very similar to Yue. The Linyushanren Collection includes a Northern
Song Longquan lidded vase (Lot 2804), which clearly demonstrates the links with
Yue wares and also suggests the influence of the popular Yaozhou celadons from
north China, like the petal-rimmed jar in the current sale (Lot 2803). However, in the
Southern Song period, no doubt influenced by the refined tastes of members of the
elite, who accompanied the new Southern Song court when it settled at Hangzhou,
the Longquan kilns began to develop a high-quality soft green celadon glaze, that
was to prove hugely popular both in China and overseas.

The classic Longquan ware is a lime-alkaline glaze – in contrast to the Yue and
Yaozhou glazes which were lime glazes - is more viscous than the Yue glaze, and is
usually thicker. Some of the components in the Longquan glaze are less soluble than

The Classic Age of Chinese Ceramics 古韻天成 — 臨宇山人珍藏（一） 20