Large Blue and White Ewer with Tinted Glaze, Lê Dynasty, 15th–16th c., A.D., Vietnam © Zetterquist Galleries

Height: 23cm

A large ewer, of bulbous form, with ornate strap handle and stylized beasthead spout. (Spout with large chip on one side.) There are four lug handles confined between two decorative ridges on the shoulder (one lug missing). The tall straight-collar neck has a ridge at the top, just under the unglazed rim, indicating the original presence of a lid. The pedestal foot is constricted between the body and the thick foot-rim, which is rounded and glazed brown. The body is decorated with a large band of masterfully realized scrolling peony depictions in underglaze blue between two thin bands of stylized cloud patterns. Bands of lotus petals are drawn at the bottom and top of the body, with the top band further embellished with floral depictions within each petal. The neck is decorated with scrolling lotus and the spout with “club” or stylized tree imagery. The piece is glazed over all with a translucent glaze tinted light blue, highly unusual and pleasing. A section of the neck has a small glaze crawl, revealing the underglaze cobalt pattern fired black in the absence of overglaze.

This is an extremely rare piece, aristocratic in its decorative quality and successfully experimental in its glazing. The form is ideally realized in its proportions, even without its lid.

Provenance: Brow Collection of Vietnamese Ceramics

The Brows were long-time expats in Asia and collected this material over the course of 30 years. Their achievement is remarkable, not only for the thoroughness of their encyclopedic treatment of the field, but also for their artistic eye. Each of their pieces was chosen for condition, quality and beauty, and they stuck to this thesis throughout.

Zetterquist Galleries (New York, NY), Chinese and Vietnamese Ceramics with Highlights from the Brow Collection, 10-18 march 2017 at 3 East 66th Street, #1B, New York 10065. T (212) 751 0650 - inquiries@zetterquist.com - zetterquist.com