Lot 1331. An extremely rare moulded Longquan celadon drum-shaped jar, Southern Song-Yuan dynasty, second half of the 13th century; 9 1/2 in. (24 cm.) diam. Estimate HKD 600,000 - HKD 800,000. Price realised HKD 1,140,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2006.

The gently rounded sides decorated with a relief moulded border containing a peony meander, the petals and leaves well defined, the stems of trailed slip, and with an additional pair of animal-mask handles suspending rings at opposite sides, all between two rows of stellate bosses, covered overall in a viscous glaze of sea-green tone pooling within the recesses, the mouth and foot rim unglazed and burnt orange in the firing, Japanese lacquer lid, box.

Provenance: A Private Japanese Collection since the 1970's.

Exhibited: Peony Designs on Ceramics, Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka, Japan, 10 April to 10 June, 1990, Catalogue no. 14.

Note: Compare with three closely related published examples of this rare shape and design. The first a jar with its cover from the Konoike Family Collection, Osaka, now in the Seikado Bunko Art Museum, Japan, listed as an Important Cultural Property, published in Seikado Art Treasures, The Benrido Co. Ltd, 1992, pl. 131 and again Ceramic Art of the World, vol. 10, Kawade Shobo Shinsha, 1961, pl. 47; another jar is illustrated by G. Gompertz, Chinese Celadon Wares, London, 1980, pl. 95B; the last from the de Forest collection, illustrated in the International Exhibition of Chinese Art, London 1935-36, cat. no. 1364 and now in the Percival David Foundation, London, illustrated by Margaret Medley, Illustrated Catalogue of Celadon Wares, London, 1977, no. 67.

Christie's. Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, Hong Kong, 30 May 2006