A rare Longquan celadon vase, meiping, Early Ming dynasty. Photo courtesy Bonhams

Heavily potted above a gently splayed foot, rising with steep sides towards bulbous body, showing a simplistic horizontal ribbed ring around the curved shoulders, ending in a short and thick neck with a circular lipped rim, generously covered all over in a rich green glaze. 34.3cm high. Estimate HK$ 700,000 - 900,000 (€67,000 - 87,000)

Starting in the Song dynasty, Longquan wares were green wares produced in the southwestern part of Zhejiang province. Its glossy, rich, greenish glaze garnered much attention, especially during the Ming dynasty. In 1393, Taizu year, the first Emperor of Ming ordered that some court vessels be produced at the Longquan kilns and the Jingdezhen kilns, which shows the equal importance of these two kilns to the Court. Later on, a eunuch was sent to supervise the manufacture of ceramics in the Longquan area. Therefore, undecorated Longquan celadon meiping examples dating to the early Ming dynasty are very rare and important. A comparable example from the National Palace Museum, Taipei, with similar curvy shape as the current lot, is illustrated by Chou Kung-shin, Celadon of the Ming Dynasty, 2009, pp.132-133, no. 65. Another example with cover was exhibited in the Tsui Museum of Art, Hong Kong, and sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 1 December 2010, lot 3104.  

Bonhams. FINE CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART. Hong Kong. 24 Nov 2013