Lot 115. A magnificent Longquan celadon cong-form vase, Song Dynasty (960-1279); 26.8cm high. Sold for HK$1,401,000 (Est: $1,200 000 HKD - $1,500 000 HKD) © Bonhams 2001-2023

Of characteristic cong form originated from the archaic jade prototype, supported on a broad circular foot ring, the square tubular body subtly moulded with eight sections of horizontal flanges around each edge, covered overall with a thick lustrous bluish-green glaze in imitation of jade texture thinning on the raised flanges and pooling to a slightly darker tone at the recesses, the foot ring unglazed to reveal the body underneath burnt brown during the firing, box. 

Provenance: Hellner Collection, Stockholm, Sweden.

Published: Rose Kerr, Jade Green and Kingfisher Blue: Longquan Wares from Museums and Art Institutes Around the World, Melton, 2023, p. 63, pl. 52.

Note: Notable for its elegant form and subtle glaze colour, the present lot is a remarkable testament to the technical advances made at the Longquan kilns during the Song dynasty, which saw the creation of numerous brilliant celadon monochrome glazes.

Cong-shaped Longquan vases resemble one of the most classic and characteristic types of Song ceramics imitating both the shapes and colours of archaic jade prototypes. The present lot was formerly in the collection of Johannes Hellner (1866-1947), a renowned Chinese art connoisseur from Sweden. Several similar examples can be found in renowned collections throughout the world, and are illustrated in Ceramics Gallery of the Palace Museum, part I, pl. 138; in Dynastic Renaissance: Art and Culture of the Southern Song, antiquities collection of National Palace Museum, p. 91, pl. II-7.

Bonhams. SUBTLE BEAUTY THE AESTHETICS OF SONG DYNASTY, 29 November 2023, Hong Kong, Admiralty