Lot 296. A Rare Blue-Glazed Vase, Meiping, Yuan-Early Ming Dynasty; 135/8in. (34.6cm.) high. Estimate USD 6,000 - USD 8,000. Price realised USD 58,750. © Christie's Image Limited

The heavily potted body covererd with a rich blue glaze thinning to a paler tone on the short neck and lipped rim and pooling heavily at the foot, the interior of the neck covered with a blue-tinged white glaze, the unglazed base and foot rim burnt pale orange in the firing and covered with a dark brown wash.

Provenance: Gulbenkian Museum, Durham, L5.
Bluett, London.

Note: Vessels completely covered with a blue glaze and dating to the 14th and 15th centuries appear to be very rare. Another meiping completely covered with a blue glaze and of nearly identical proportions and dated to the Yuan dynasty is in the Idemitsu Museum and illustrated in The 15th Anniversary Catalogue, Tokyo, 1981, p. 180, no. 764. A blue-glazed meiping dated to the early part of the 15th century with slightly more angular shoulders and a taller neck in the Metropolitan Museum of Art is illustrated by S. Valenstein, A Handbook of Chinese Ceramics, New York, 1989 p. 152, no. 152.

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics, Paintings and Works of Art, New York, 21 September 2000