Rare Southern Song Dynasty Longquan Guan Celadon Glazed Zhadou Vessel

A rare and fine Chinese Longquan Guan celadon glazed vessel, Zhadou, Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). In the past, this type of Longquan ware would considered to be Guan-type, which were believed to imitate Guan ware in Longquan kilns. However, recent studies have discovered that the Southern Song court had set up kilns in Longquan dayao and xikou to fire tribute wares to the court, as the alternative official kilns to the Jiaotanxia official kiln and Xiuneisi official kiln in Hangzhou. This present Zhadou would be a typical vessel that was made in the official kiln in Longquan dayao for the Southern Song court. For a celadon longquan zhadou, please see Christie's New York, 22/3/2024, lot 815, also see Christie's New York, 22/03/2019, lot 1718 for another longquan example. Compare with a smaller longquan example, in the Zhejiang provincial Museum, illustrated in Longquan celadon of China, Hangzhou, 1998, pl.70, another discovered among a group of song ceramics excavated at Lueyang, Shaanxi province, is illustrated in Wenwu, 1976, no.11, pl.6, fig.5, and a third is included in Chinese ceramics in the Idemitsu collection, Tokyo, 1987, pl.474. See also another zhadou of similar proportions but smaller size, illustrated by R.Krahl, Yuegutang, a collection of Chinese ceramics in Berlin, Berlin, 2000, no.226. Fragments of these smaller zhadou recovered from kiln sites at Dayao, Longquan county, Zhejiang Province, are illustrated in Longquan qingci yanjiu, Beijing, 1989, pl.6, fig.5. The latter examples appear to have much greener and slightly inferior crackled glazes. 5.20 in. diameter, 3.50 in. high