Vase with celadon glaze, China, Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644

Vase with celadon glaze
China
Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644
Large longquan vase in kinuta shape & corresponding light blue glaze
Two handles in the form of fish
Height 38 cm

The Kinuta ("hammer," since in the form of an East Asian hammer) vases trace back to a Northern Song Dynasty (968-1126) vase type, which in turn imitates Middle Eastern glass vessels that reached China via the Silk Road. A particularly beautifully colored specimen subsequently also lent its name to the bluish longquan glaze. This specimen represents a Ming-period development, its somewhat more expansive shape at the shoulder again approximating the underlying Oriental jars.
The wide ring at the bottom, recessed in the glaze to prevent the vessel from sticking during firing, is an innovation of the Yuan Dynasty that lasted into the Ming period and still characterizes early Japanese porcelains. The fish-shaped handles represent an almost manneristic development of the song's model and are somewhat reminiscent of sea monsters.
A glaze adhesion created during the firing process by touching a second specimen, and referred to by Japanese as hi'tsuki in the context of describing the "landscape" of a glaze, has been highlighted with silver lacquer in the Japanese manner in gin-naoshi.
The glaze is partially a little dull due to age, otherwise there is no damage.