Page 37 - Christies March 15 2017 Fujita Museum

GREEN AS JADE

LONGQUAN VESSELS FOR DISPLAY

Amongst the Chinese treasures from the Fujita Museum Collection is a small group of
monumental Longquan celadon vessels bearing the subtle green glazes characteristic of the
wares of the Yuan and early Ming dynasties. These large wares have considerable presence and it is
likely that they would have been for display, rather than common use.

The Longquan glaze was perfected during the Southern Song period, but as the Yuan dynasty
progressed production rose, so that some 300 kilns were active in the Longquan area from the Dayao,
Jincun and Xikou kiln complexes in the west to those on the banks of the Ou and Songxi rivers.
These rivers facilitated the transportation of the ceramics to other parts of China as well as to the
ports of Quanzhou and Wenzhou, for shipment abroad. New shapes and styles of decoration were
introduced, and pieces of impressive size, such as those from the Fujita Museum, began to be made
at the Longquan kilns. While some of the larger pieces, such as the large dishes, were initially inspired
by the requirements of patrons from Western Asia, other large forms were appreciated by patrons
in both West and East Asia. These latter forms included large 'phoenix-tail' vases and large covered
jars. Both of these forms were popular in Japan, as well as China itself. A Longquan lidded celadon jar
was found in the grave of Kanesawa Sada-aki (金沢貞顕1278-1333) on the grounds of the Shomyo-ji
temple (称名寺). The Shomyo-ji temple, which is believed to have been set up by Hōjō Sanetoki (北条
実時1224-76) during the Kamakura period, still has in its collection two large Longquan celadon vases
and a large incense burner with applied relief decoration. Other major Japanese temples, such as the
Engaku-ji (円覚寺) and Kencho-ji (建長寺) at Kamakura also still use celadon vases preserved in the
temples since the Kamakura (AD 1185-1333) and Muromachi (AD 1333-1573) periods.

The Fujita Yuan dynasty vase has an elegantly fared mouth and is decorated with bow-string lines
around the upper part of the neck and the underside of the mouth. There is a band of elongated
overlapping petals around the lower part of the body and foot. The main section of the neck and the
upper part of the body bear sprig-moulded peony sprays and scrolls. The stems of the peony scroll
are created using slip-trailing. The glaze is especially fne, with a rich translucent texture and a clear
bluish-green tone, of the kind much admired in China and in other parts of Asia. Like the two other
large Longquan vessels from the Fujita Museum in the current sale, this vase has been made using an
ingenious technique which prevents the cracking and distortion of large forms during fring. The base
inside the foot ring of the vase has been cut away, leaving a sizeable hole. This hole has been covered
from the interior by a saucer-shaped element. Both the area around the hole and the saucer itself
were covered with glaze. During fring, as the body material of the vase expanded or contracted, the
saucer was able to foat on the glaze and, after fring, the glaze solidifed, sealing the saucer in place.

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