Ming Dynasty, early 15th c., AD, China
Height: 25 cm
An archaistic “Gu” form molded vase with flared base, banded center and trumpet neck. The base and neck are deeply carved with elongated lotus petals that form foliated rims at the top and bottom. The center band is decorated with carved Daoist trinary characters, more commonly seen in the Yuan Dynasty. The entire piece is covered with an ideal minty green translucent celadon glaze that ends at the straight collar foot, which has fired to a reddish- brown color, and has a glazed foot-well.
The “Gu” form vase is produced in various quality levels and details throughout the Ming dynasty, a period fascinated by archaistic influences. This example is notable for its refinement of potting and glaze. Its Taoist references and barbed rim, both common in the Yuan Dynasty, likely places it in the early part of the Ming Dynasty. Its excellent skin and old box, suggest that it is an heirloomed piece exported to Japan during the Ming Dynasty.
A piece of similar size and elongated form, but without the fluting, is featured in “Sekai Touji Zenshu” Shogakukan, Tokyo, 1984, Vol. 14, pl, 132.
With and old, fitted lacquer box inscribed in silver, silk pouch and stained wood exterior box.
Southern Song Dynasty, 1127-1279 AD, China
Diameter: 12.7 cm
A stoneware tea bowl with steep rounded sides and primarily persimmon colored glaze that streaks in a “Hare’s fur” pattern into a blackish brown color towards the bottom interior, where it pools to black. The glaze is similarly streaked around the exterior, where it pools above the foot-rim, revealing a dark grey stoneware body, small straight solid foot, and very shallow under-foot well. The rim is covered in a silver band, typical of these wares used in the Japanese tea ceremony. With fitted wooden box. Repaired rim chip (old repair).
In Japan, this form would have been used for a less formal “usu-cha” tea ceremony. A similar predominantly persimmon colored example is published in “Song Ceramics from the Kwan Collection”, Hong Kong Museum of Art, 1994, pl. 165.
Cizhou-Type White Meiping with Fish and Lotus Design
Song Dynasty, 960-1279 AD, China
Height: 31 cm
A tall high-shouldered Mei-ping bottle vase of dark gray stoneware covered in a white slip with areas of pink blush. The main section of the upper body has a masterfully carved cut-slip decoration of fish swimming amongst lotus plants in front and back cartouches, with a “Fish Roe” pattern background. The sides have wave decoration between the cartouches, and the bottom section has a narrow band of floral carving over a tall band of elongated lotus petals. Atop the shoulder is are two bands of flower petal decorations below the small, flared mouth. The exterior is covered with a translucent glaze that pools to a greyish green color near the bottom, and stops unevenly above the deeply countersunk foot. The unglazed underfoot reveals a gray
stoneware body stained by red burial earth.
The rarified quality of the potting and decoration, as well as the use of fishroe decoration, place this piece in the Song Dynasty.
An example of this type, but with differing decorative subject, can be seen in the collection of The City Art Gallery, Bristol, published in “Arte Chinese”, Alfieri Editore Venezia 1954, pl. 517. Another piece of similar type from the Eumorfopoulos Collection, and now in the V&A Museum, London, is published in Robert Hobson’s “Eumorfopoulos Collection Catalogue” London, 1925-1928, pl. C398. Another with similar form as C271 in the same publication.
In an old fitted and inscribed Japanese box with “Fujio” inscribed under the lid. Koyama Fujio (1900-1975) was a noted scholar of Japanese and Chinese Ceramics, and one of the original editors of Sekai Touji Zenshu in 1955. He later became a ceramicist whose work is still prized to this day.
Provenance: Collection of Koyama Fujio (1900-1975), Japan
Private Japanese Collection
A barrel shaped jar divided into six shallow lobes with six lug handles evenly spaced around the top. The short, beveled neck is surrounded by a collar of deeply carved lotus petals, which are repeated around the lotus bud knob of the domed lid. Below the lotus petal lappet, there is a narrowband with impressed floral medallions interspersed in sets of three between each of the lug handles, which are also repeated on the dome of the lid. The short, flared neck ends in a beveled mouth rim. The entire piece is covered in a finely crackled translucent glaze. The flat bottom is unglazed revealing pale clay body. Hairline body crack on one side.
With fitted wooden box.
Provenance: Collection of Akio Seino (1928-2021), Japan
Blue and White Lidded Kendi with “Ky Lan” Decoration
Le-So Dynasties, 15th-16th c., Vietnam
Length: 23.5 cm
A large “Kendi” ceremonial pouring vessel. The compressed cushion shaped body with large mammiform spout, tall flared neck and disc rim under a rounded mouth edge. The center of the body is decorated with intricately drawn Ky Lan mythical beasts bounding amongst clouds, under a narrow band of flowers, above which is a band of lotus petal lappets. There is another band of lotus petals surrounding the shallow concave foot. The spout has crossed sword and cloud motifs with a small band of lotus petal surrounding the narrow spout opening. The neck has a small band of geometric patterning and the disk has loosely drawn petals and is surmounted by a domed lid, which has a single flower on top, incorporating the small knob as its center. All decoration is rendered in a vibrant cobalt blue under a shiny glaze. The foot reveals a white porcelain bisque. There are repaired chips and fritting to the disk and small areas of glaze fritting on the lid.
Provenance: Hoi An Hoard, Butterfields 2000
Mary and Cheney Cowles Collection
Large White Glazed Yuhuchun-ping Bottle Vase
14th-15th c., Vietnam
Height: 30 cm
A large stoneware pear shaped vase sitting on a slightly flared foot-rim with beveled edge, the underneath of which is decorated with an iron-oxide brown coating. The long neck has an extravagantly flared mouth-rim. Besides being unusually large, its potting and firing are extremely well controlled, and the creamy white surface remarkably consistent in color.
A similar piece is illustrated in “Vietnamese Ceramics: A Separate Tradition” by John Stevenson and John Guy, Avery Press, 1997, pl. 285. Another is published in “Vietnamese Ceramics”, Machida Municipal Museum, 1993, pl. 58.
With repaired mouth-rim chips.
Provenance: Zetterquist Galleries, New York 2015
Mary and Cheney Cowles Collection
Le-So Dynasties, 15th-16th c., Vietnam
Height: 31 cm
A large ovoid jar with an everted, rolled mouth rim and four lug handles. The top third of the jar is decorated in a vibrant cobalt blue with a narrow band of coin motifs under the mouth, a band of scrolling lotus under that, and an ornate lappet of overlapping petals with internal arabesques. Just above the slightly concave, unglazed foot is a band of scrolling arabesques, with another upward pointing lappet of ruyi style petals with internal scrolling. The largest section of the body, between the top and bottom lappets, is left solid white, a remarkably unusual design for a Vietnamese piece of this period.
There is a hairline crack on the mouth rim that extends into the body. There are several areas of glaze and underlying slip fritting around the mouth rim and on one of the handles.
Provenance: Johnathan Leaver Collection
Alice and Robert Piccus Collection until 1984
The Mary and Cheney Cowles Collection
Literature: Published in “Chinese and Annamese Ceramics by Adrian Joseph, London 1973. no. 114.
Published in “Vietnamese Ceramics: A Separate Tradition” by John Stevenson and John Guy, Avery Press, 1997. pl. 235.
Large Blue and White Charger with Floral Decoration
Le-So Dynasties, 15th-16th c., Vietnam
Diameter: 37.8 cm
A charger with flattened rim and rounded edge. The rim has an interlocking geometric pattern in cobalt blue, under which the cavetto is decorated with an intricate scrolling lotus and peony pattern. A narrow band of stylized cloud and floral arabesques enclose a central medallion with a large lotus and stylized leaves. The underside is decorated with lotus petal lappets and a broad foot rim with brown glazed underfoot.
This piece is remarkable for its fine painting quality and rich blue cobalt color.
Provenance: Mary and Cheney Cowles Collection (Published as “Beiyuzhai Collection”)
Literature: Published in “Vietnamese Ceramics: A Separate Tradition” by John Stevenson and John Guy, Avery Press, 1997, pl. 240.
Large Blue and White Jar with Tigers, Horses, Birds and Deer
Le-So Dynasties, 15th-16th c., Vietnam
Height: 44.5 cm
A large baluster shaped storage jar of high shouldered form with flared mouth-rim with a rolled edge. The neck is decorated with a band of coin decoration. Contained within two double-line bands, the shoulders bear depictions of three horses and one dear amongst bamboo. The central body has elaborate drawings of two tigers, birds and deer in a landscape of mountains and bamboo. The bottom third of the jar has repeated lotus petals and stylized ruyi patterns.
Jars of this scale with such intricate and varied animal decoration are extremely rare. The overglaze is in excellent condition, with some fritting around the bottom and lip. There are a few original firing cracks in the body.
Provenance: From a Japanese collection (purchased in Indonesia over thirty years ago)
Mary and Cheney Cowles Collection
Literature: Published in: “Blue Flower of Vietnam”, Machida Museum of Art, 2001, pl. 51.
Southern Song Dynasty, 1127-1279 AD, China
Height: 17.5 cm
A porcelain vase with flared foot carved with vertical ridges. The baluster form body is lobed into nine sections ending in a trumpet neck constrained by horizontal banding at its base and a widely flared mouth. Some rim fritting and repaired chips on the mouth rim. (Two restored with original material and one small chip with repair.)
A similar piece from the Percival David Collection is published in “Oriental Ceramics; The World’s Great Collections”, Kodansha, Tokyo 1981, Vol. 6, pl. 5.
A large porcelaineous plate with densely composed bands of molded foliate decoration. The first, constrained by concentric double lines and surrounding the cavetto, is a crisply molded scrolling peony pattern. The inside center, constrained by a band of key frets, is densely decorated with molded scrolling lotus flowers and leaves. The entire piece, with the exception of the mouth-rim, is glazed with a fine translucent ivory glaze which pools to a taupe color. The bowl sits on a short, straight foot-rim, which is also glazed. It has a brown spot on the back, where a speck of iron melted during the firing. There are also two narrow kiln flaws on the back. With fitted wooden box.
See a similar example in Regina Krahl’s “Chinese Ceramics from the MeiYinTang Collection” Vol. 1, pl. 366.
Another similar example is in the collection at the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Australia, and viewable at https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/explore/collection/work/51750/
Ly-Tran Dynasty, 13th-14th c., A.D., Vietnam
Length: 20.5 cm
A stoneware pouring vessel in the shape of a sitting deer covered in a finely crackled ivory colored glaze, with the crackle stained to a russet brown color. The delicately articulated head, antlers and ears echo that of the tail, out of which rises to the scrolled handle. A tall neck with cupped rim rises from the back and connects to the antlers. Two raised air holes flank the neck to the sides, and are glazed in brown. The underside is unglazed, revealing a buff stoneware body, and has a large original firing crack around its perimeter.
Zoomorphic forms are prevalent in the history of Vietnamese ceramics from the Ly Dynasty onward. This is a particularly fine and amusing example, and extremely rare for its form. The deer is an auspicious animal, and appears commonly in Chinese ceramics as a symbol of long life. This has carried through to Vietnam, and can be seen on blue and white and polychrome ceramics from the Le and So Dynasties.
Ears and antlers with some repair.
A conventional ewer of this same type of ware, with similar handle, glaze and bottom is published in “Vietnamese Ceramics: A Separate Tradition” by John Stevenson and John Guy, Avery Press, 1997, pg. 219.
Provenance: Brow Collection
Bertha Saunders Collection
Private New York Collection
Tran Dynasty, 1225-1400 AD, Vietnam
Diameter: 17.5 cm
A finely potted stoneware bowl with domed lid with crenelated edge surmounted by a two-tiered knob. The bowl has a narrow base that swells to a wide shoulder and inverted mouth rim. The top of the lid and the bottom half of the bowl are decorated with incised petals. Both the interior of the bowl and overall exterior are covered in a finely crackled olive-green glaze, which ends at the shallow foot rim, exposing a pale buff colored clay body. The underside of the lid is unglazed except for a wiped glaze under the domed section.
There is one hairline crack to the mouth rim and chips to the foot.
A very similar piece is published in “Vietnamese Ceramics: A Separate Tradition” by John Stevenson and John Guy, Avery Press, 1997, pl. 112.
Another can be seen in “The Elephant and the Lotus “Vietnamese Ceramics in the Museum of Fine Arts” by Philippe Truong, Boston, Boston MFA, 2001, pl. 45.
Chinese and Vietnamese Ceramics from American and Japanese Collections
March 14 – 22, 2024
Asia Week Hours: Mar 14-22, 11am-6pm (otherwise by appointment)
Zetterquist Galleries is delighted to present an exhibition of Chinese and Vietnamese Ceramics, all sourced from American and Japanese collections.
The Chinese pieces range in date from the Tang through Ming Dynasty, starting with a large Tang Dynasty whiteware jar, rare for its size and excellent condition. There is a selection of nine Song Dynasty pieces with fine examples of Ding, Yaozhou, Henan and Cizhou pieces from Northern China. From Southern China, there are elegant examples of Qingbai porcelains from the Hutien Kilns and a Jian-yao “Hare’s fur” tea bowl from a Japanese tea ceremony collection. From the Ming Dynasty there are two Longquan celadons; The barbed-rim charger with an ideal minty-green glaze color, and an exquisite “Gu” form vase, with Taoist trinary symbols, in an old lacquer box with silver inscription, also from a Japanese tea ceremony collection.
Most of the Vietnamese selections come from the collection of Mary and Cheney Cowles, whose extraordinary collection of Chinese ceramics sold in these rooms last Spring. They collected Vietnamese ceramics with the same exacting eye for quality, condition and beauty with which they chose their Chinese wares. Representing Northern Vietnamese kilns from the Ly Dynasty (1009-1225) through the Le Dynasty (1428-1788), this scholarly collection includes wares of varied techniques, forms and functions. From the elegant Thanh Hoa pieces with Buddhist inspired form, to Blue and white porcelaineous pieces of excellent condition and intricate decoration, this group exhibits the finest of Vietnamese wares.
We have added four other Vietnamese ceramics from Japanese and American collections which, as with many of the Cowles’ pieces, have illustrious provenance and publication histories.
This is our seventh Vietnamese exhibition in the last 30 years. It is a field that we thoroughly enjoy and still feel to be eminently collectable. The gallery is particularly fond of exhibiting Vietnamese ceramics together with Chinese ceramics, as it not only shows their inevitable stylistic and technical connections, but also highlights the unique charm and joyful spontaneity of Vietnamese design and decoration.
Zetterquist Galleries was founded in 1992 by Eric J. Zetterquist to present the finest of Asian ceramics throughout the ages. Our clients include major museums and the most discerning collectors of Asian ceramics from around the world.
While most Asian antiquities galleries choose one country and show several different media from that country, Zetterquist chose to show one medium, ceramics, but cover all of East Asia. The flow of materials with stylistic and technical influences around the region over the past 2,000 years tells a fascinating story that gets more exciting with time.