Guan Kiln Sky-Celadon Octagonal Arrow Vase With Tubular Handles, Southern Song Dynasty

拍品描述

Dimensions: 14.5 cm (5.71 inches) in height. A 12th-13th century Southern Song Dynasty official kiln antique-style ritual vessel. Condition and Provenance: The vessel is intact, without cracks, chips, or signs of glaze repair or restoration. The original celadon glaze covers the entire piece, with naturally interwoven crackle patterns evenly distributed on the surface. It has two tubular handles and an octagonal body, with a clean and crisp shape. The unglazed base exposes the natural deep purple iron-rich clay, with a smooth and natural transition between the glaze and the body, free from modern artificial dyeing or crackle patterns. All kiln firing marks and aging characteristics are perfectly preserved. This porcelain vase was acquired in 2019 by a private collector in Seattle, Washington, specializing in pre-Ming Dynasty Chinese ceramics. Hong Kong is a major global trading center for Song and pre-Song Dynasty antique porcelain. Description: This museum-quality octagonal arrow-shaped vase is a classic work of the Southern Song Dynasty official kiln, made specifically for court display and literati refinement, imitating the bronze ritual arrow-shaped vases of early Chinese dynasties. This bottle is octagonal, with an octagonal straight mouth and symmetrical hollow tubular handles on either side of its short neck. The body is rounded and tapering, fitted with an octagonal foot. Each octagon has smooth, flowing lines and perfectly balanced proportions. Both the interior and exterior are covered with a thick, milky-white celadon glaze, its surface softly lustrous with a subtle jade-like sheen—a characteristic opaque celadon texture of official kiln porcelain. The entire surface is covered with naturally formed golden crackles, layered and flowing smoothly down the curves of the body. This is a natural result of the thermal expansion and contraction differences between the clay and glaze over centuries, not an artificial imitation. Two raised horizontal ridges on the neck clearly divide the body into distinct layers, while the hollow tubular handles are meticulously crafted with flowing, graceful lines. The base is an octagonal concave foot, the edges of which are unglazed, revealing the deep purple iron-rich body characteristic of Guan kiln porcelain. The dense, fine-grained dark body contrasts sharply with the light sky-blue glaze, a key identifying feature of Southern Song Guan kiln porcelain. The Southern Song imperial family revered classical and elegant aesthetics, commissioning the Guan kiln to produce antique-style porcelain for court decoration and flower arranging by literati. This reflected the understated elegance admired by Song emperors and scholars. Octagonal arrow-shaped vases are far rarer than round vases on the world antique market. This well-preserved piece possesses a pure, standard glaze color, naturally aged crackles, and textbook-perfect body characteristics, making it an important material reference for studying the firing techniques of the Southern Song imperial kilns, ancient court etiquette culture, and celadon glaze formulas. It not only has outstanding academic research value but also possesses excellent potential for interior display and collection.

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