This Yue ware celadon ewer features a gracefully rounded body that expands smoothly, complemented by a wide, flaring mouth. The translucent olive-green glaze envelops the surface, enhancing its depth and highlighting the vertical ridges that run along the body, adding a sense of visual balance. The gently curved spout follows an organic form, while the strap handle arches elegantly, ensuring ease of use. A finely crafted floral appliqué adorns the neck, and the small perforated lugs on the shoulder suggest they may have once secured a lid.
Period : Late Tang - Northern Song Dynasty
Type : Ewer
Medium : Yue Celadon
Dimension : 18.5 cm(Height), 11cm(Mouth Diameter)
Condition : Excellent
Provenance : Acquired in late 1990s from Hongkong
Reference
1) NSW - Accession number 278.1975 - Ewer 9th century-10th century
(Type : Closely related)
https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/278.1975/#bibliography
2) MIA - Accession Number 99.180.1 - Ewer, 9th century
(Type : Closely related)
https://collections.artsmia.org/art/31221/ewer-china
* Yue Ware
Yue wares, distinguished by their dense, fine-grained grey stoneware body and thin olive-green glaze, were produced in Zhejiang province and widely exported across Asia, even reaching Egypt. The name "Yue" originates from the ancient Wu-Yue kingdom, which existed during the Warring States period (c. 481–221 BCE) and later reemerged in the Three Kingdoms era (CE 219–316).
Developing gradually over nearly a millennium, Yue ware evolved from the Han dynasty to the early Song period. The earliest celadon-like ceramics, believed to date back to the 3rd century BCE, are considered precursors of Yue ware. While kiln sites producing Yue ware from the Han to the Six Dynasties periods have been identified, there remains a significant gap in evidence between the late 6th century and the first half of the 9th century, as no production sites from this period have yet been discovered. The most prolific and significant Yue ware kilns of the late Tang period were located around Shanglin Lake.
Among the various forms produced during the late Tang period, Yue ware ewers were particularly favored. This ewer, featuring a strap handle, vertically ribbed ovoid body, wide flaring neck, and a somewhat awkwardly curved spout, is characteristic of Yue wares from the late 9th to 10th centuries.
Unlike the funerary ceramics of the Tang dynasty, which did not influence later ceramic traditions, Yue wares played a crucial role in shaping subsequent developments in Chinese ceramics.
