24.5 cm. （9 5/8 in.） high

Provenance：
From the Family Collection of a Daimyo， Japan （by repute）；
A Private Japanese Family Collection since the 19th century

Recent discoveries including the excavation of the Dayao Feng DongYan （大窯楓洞岩） kiln site in 2006 have confirmed that Longquan Celadon wares， closely related to blue and white forms produced during the same period， were ordered for the Imperial Court during a short period between the Hongwu period and the Chenghua period.
The fine body material， exquisite colour and elegant potting of the present vase， all suggest that it is was part of the group made for the Imperial Court. There is a long tradition of appreciating the finest Longquan examples in Japan and it is no surprise that the present example was treasured as part of the collection of a Daimo and has been kept with such care over the centuries in its furoshiki cloth wrap and inscribed wood box.
The form and many of the features of the vase closely resemble those found on examples produced during the height of the Southern Song and Yuan dynasties.
The superb potting with the globular body rising to a slender neck and flanged rim compare closely to a Southern Song vase illustrated in Longquan Ware： Chinese Celadon Beloved of the Japanese， Tokyo， 2012， p. 40， no. 28 and another Southern Song vase in the Tokyo National Museum included in the Special Exhibition， Chinese Ceramics， Tokyo National Museum， Tokyo， 1994， cat. no. 181.
The stepped foot on the present vase is an interesting feature that is found on vases from the Southern Song to the early Ming dynasty. Compare the stepped base on a ‘Tobi Seiji’ Longquan vase dating to the Southern Song dynasty in the Museum of Oriental Ceramics， Osaka， illustrated in Invaluable Legacy： Yuteki Temoku and Tobi Seiji， Osaka， 2012， p. 41. A vase dated to the Yuan dynasty illustrated in Celadons from Longquan Kilns， Taibei， 1998， p. 187， no. 160.
The silky jade-like texture of the glaze applied in multiple layering to achieve the perfect combination of colour and lustre compares closely to some of the finest examples of the Southern Song dynasty such as the kinuta meiping sold at Christie’s New York， 18 September 2015， lot 2318.
It is interesting to note that while many Longquan wares were mass-produced on a large scale for both domestic use and export， the very finest examples such as the present vase are often unique or produced in very small numbers which makes them particularly difficult to date with any accuracy. This also illustrates the innovation and creative skills of the most skilled potters working during this period. Equally unusual vases include an important vase from the Nantoyoso Collection dated to the 13th century illustrated by Koyama Fujio， Chinese Celadon， Tokyo， 1978， no. 27 and a vase from the A.W. Bahr Collection dated to the Song dynasty with unusual fish handles just beneath the rim sold at Christie’s New York， 20-21 March 2013， lot 2103.

Price estimate:
HKD： 2,200,000-3,200,000
USD： 283,900-412,900

Auction Result:
HKD: --