A LARGE LONGQUAN CELADON AND BISCUIT 'FLORAL' BOWL YUAN DYNASTY

with deep rounded sides resting on a short foot, the exterior moulded with slender upright lotus petals below a concave band encircling the rim, the cavetto of the interior carved with an undulating leafy stem bearing three large lotus blooms, encircling an applied flower in biscuit, the centre of the base with a circular recess, covered overall save for the unglazed footring with a sage-green glaze
34.8 cm, 13 5/8 in.

Provenance:
Notable for its broad proportions and confidently incised lines on the interior, bowls of such large size and with bold sprig-moulded motifs reserved on the biscuit are archetypal products of the Longquan kilns during the Yuan dynasty. The rise in popularity of blue and white porcelain made at Jingdezhen, fostered radical changes at the Longquan kilns. In order to cater for the newly established Mongol court and their preference for exuberant and bold designs, the potters of Longquan began producing wares with more prominent decoration that added interest to the otherwise monochrome vessels. Combining moulded, incised and sprig-moulded motifs on a single piece, this bowl testifies to this trend.

The large proportions of this bowl suggest it was made for export to the Middle East, where large bowls of this type were used for communal eating. Large bowls of related form with moulded floral medallions on the interior, but covered by the celadon glaze are in the Topkapi Saray Museum, Istanbul, are illustrated in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics in the Topkapi Saray Museum Istanbul, London, 1986, vol. 1, pls 23, 30 and 31. See also a rounder bowl of related proportions, but with a band of petals on the interior, from the Sir Percival David collection, now in the British Museum, London, illustrated in Margaret Medley, Yuan Porcelain and Stoneware, London, 1977, pl. 72; another with a barbed rim, in the Idemitsu Museum of Arts, Tokyo, published in Chinese Ceramics in the Idemitsu Collection, Tokyo, 1987, pl. 608; and a third from the collection of Shah Abbas (r. 1588-1629), preserved in the Ardabil Shrine in Iran, illustrated in T. Misugi, Chinese Porcelain Collections in the Near East. Topkapi and Ardebil, Hong Kong, 1981, vol. 3, pl. A226. A further bowl of related form but smaller size and lacking the floret on the interior, from the collection of Sir Percival David, in the British Museum, London, is published op.cit., pl. 60b.

The form of this piece is believed to have been inspired by Persian metal prototypes, such as the bowl attributed to the 12th-13th century, in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, illustrated in Margaret Medley, Metalwork and Chinese Ceramics, London, 1972, pl. 15.