Lot 17. A Longquan celadon 'funerary' jar and cover, Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279); 22.5cm (8 7/8in) high. Estimate £ 4,000-6,000. Sold for £ 5,062 (€ 5,664). Photo: Bonhams.

The ovoid body carved around the exterior with lobes, rising to a rounded shoulder and a short cylindrical neck, a large dragon with finely-incised scales coiled around the shoulder and upper body chasing a flaming pearl, the shallow domed cover surmounted by an animal finial, covered overall with a soft sea-green glaze. 

Provenance: a Swiss private collection.

Note: Longquan celadon-glazed 'funerary' jars such as the present lot, would have originally been made in pairs: one bearing the 'Green Dragon of the East' and the other the 'White Tiger of the West'. All the animals and beasts on the jars represented the cardinal directions, including the bird finial which represented the 'Red Bird of the South'. A pair in the Sir Percival David Collection in the British Museum, London, is illustrated in Song Ceramics: Objects of Admiration, London, 2003, pl.35. These jars would have been filled with offerings of grain and placed in the tomb at the cardinal directions.

Pair of Longquan porcelain funerary urns, Southern Song Dynasty, 12thC-13thC. Height: 25,2 cm. On loan from: Sir Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art (PDF.204) © Trustees of the British Museum

For other related examples of Longquan celadon 'funerary' jars and covers with dragons and tigers, see also R.Kerr, Song Dynasty Ceramics, London, 2004, pl.85 and p.95. Various other examples are illustrated in Longquan yao qingci, Taipei, 1998, pp.132-138; and Zhongguo Longquan qingci, Hangzhou, 1998, pl.76.

Compare with a similar Longquan celadon 'funerary' jar and cover, Southern Song dynasty, which was sold at Bonhams London, 10 November 2016, lot 10.

A fine and rare Longquan celadon-glazed 'funerary' jar and cover, Southern Song Dynasty (1127–1279); 26.4cm (10 3/8in) high. Estimate £15,000 - 20,000 (€17,000 - 22,000). Sold for £ 47,500 (€ 53,145) at Bonhams London, 10 November 2016, lot 10. Photo: Bonhams.

Cf. my post: A fine and rare Longquan celadon-glazed 'funerary' jar and cover, Southern Song Dynasty (1127–1279)