Yuan Dynasty Longquan Kiln Pink-Celadon Bionic Golden Toad Paperweight (13th-14th Century A.D.)

拍品描述

Dimensions：Length 9.5cm (3.74 in), height 8cm (3.15 in), 13th-14th Century A.D.Condition & Provenance：The toad paperweight is fully intact without cracks, chips, glaze repairs or touch-ups. All bionic granular textures covering the body remain undamaged and unworn, the crackled glaze layer is preserved all over, and the original kiln soil stains and dark iron spots on the unglazed base are untouched without later polishing or modification. Provenance: Former private collection of a Hong Kong collector specializing in Yuan celadon. Acquired at Vancouver Asian Antique Art Fair in 2016, passed down within one private family in orderly succession. This piece was only displayed for private thematic exhibitions focused on Longquan celadon and has never been consigned to public auctions.Description：This bionic golden toad paperweight is a classic scholar’s desk ornament crafted at Longquan kilns during the Yuan Dynasty, serving dual purposes of pressing calligraphy paper and bringing auspicious fortune in ancient Chinese studies. The golden toad symbolizes wealth and prosperity, a highly popular bionic ceramic sculpture theme across Song and Yuan dynasties. The sculpture depicts a plump squatting toad with a small slightly tilted head and vivid embossed round eyes. Its whole body is covered with scattered raised granular bumps of varying sizes replicating real toad skin texture, and raised ridges divide the back body. The realistic sculpting carries extremely delicate craftsmanship. Thick iconic pink-celadon glaze fully coats the entire sculpture, delivering mild soft turquoise shades with natural color gradients. The glaze surface is covered with fine natural crackles, translucent and lustrous with subtle jade-like sheen. The flat base is left unglazed, showing pale ochre clay with widespread original dark brown iron firing spots; authentic pad-firing marks are fully preserved, serving as key dating markers for Yuan Longquan porcelain. Bionic ceramic sculptures from Yuan Longquan kilns are far rarer than common bowls, plates and display wares, and well-preserved golden toad paperweights with intact glaze and undamaged textures are extremely scarce on the market. This toad features balanced lifelike proportions, complete crisp carved details, consistent pure pink-celadon glaze tone, and its clay base firing characteristics perfectly match excavated Yuan shards from the Dayao kiln site in Zhejiang Province. With unaltered original base and premium preservation condition, this artwork holds outstanding value for desk display, celadon archaeological research and long-term investment collection, highly sought after by veteran celadon collectors across North America and Southeast Asia.

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