Yuan Dynasty Zhizheng 8th Year Underglaze Blue & Copper Red Plum Vase Decorated with Interlocking Floral Qilin, Phoenix and Poem, 14th Century Yuan Dynasty

拍品描述

Measurements: Overall height 36.5cm (14.37 inches), 14th century major Jingdezhen blue and copper red porcelain masterpieceCondition & Provenance: The vase is structurally intact with no cracks, chips or porcelain loss. The whole surface bears natural age crackle glaze, original glaze condition without acid cleaning, no repainting or ground mark restoration. Underglaze cobalt blue presents rich deep stable tone, copper red glaze shows soft layered coloration. The poetic calligraphy and mythical beast patterns on the body are fully legible. The flat unglazed base retains original burial soil patina. This treasure was first collected by a veteran Yuan porcelain connoisseur in Hong Kong, later consigned through an antique dealer in Toronto, and is currently preserved in a private Yuan official porcelain collection in Los Angeles, California, USA. Hong Kong serves as the primary global trading hub for pre-Ming Song and Yuan ancient porcelain, while California, New York and Texas dominate the market for Ming and Qing porcelain.Description: This dated blue and copper red plum vase from the 8th year of Zhizheng reign is a rare standard specimen of dual-color porcelain fired at Jingdezhen during the Yuan Dynasty. It follows the classic Yuan plum vase silhouette: small rolled lip mouth, short narrow neck, full rounded shoulders, tapering lower belly and flat sandy base. The vessel surface is divided into multiple decorative bands. The shoulder section features two qilin beasts wandering among interlocking blooms painted in copper red, with finely detailed fish-scale texture and powerful dynamic postures. The upper belly bears a seven-character ancient poem by poet Huang Geng, inscribed with the exact reign mark “Summer, the 8th year of Great Yuan Zhizheng”, rendered in primitive, forceful brushwork, forming an extremely rare dated calligraphy reference on Yuan porcelain. The mid-belly displays pine, bamboo and plum blossom motifs, with cobalt blue for foliage and copper red outlining trunks. The foot area is segmented by framed ruyi cloud patterns, creating balanced visual contrast between blue and red pigments. The whole piece has thick heavy porcelain body covered with soft pale celadon glaze veined with fine natural crackles. The rough dry sandy base bears natural erosion marks from long-term underground storage. Firing blue and copper red simultaneously in Yuan kilns carried extreme technical challenges, as copper oxide pigment easily faded or turned dark grey. Large-sized plum vases with complete dated inscriptions, fully decorated qilin and phoenix motifs are extraordinarily scarce on the global market. This artifact integrates dated text, paired auspicious mythical creatures and dual-color firing technology, fully preserving abundant historical records of Yuan porcelain shaping, painting, calligraphy and kiln craft. It qualifies as a museum-grade masterpiece with incomparable archaeological, academic and top-tier collectible value.

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