A large green-glazed pottery jar


Warring States Period Finely potted with a compressed globular body raised on a tapering foot, moulded with a band of raised vertical ribs around the body, rising to a high shoulder decorated with a similar band of raised ribs encircling a short rim flanked by a pair of taotie masks holding loose rings, covered overall by a thin pale olive green glaze. 42cm (16 1/2in) diam.
|The Property of a Gentleman 士紳藏品戰國 原始青瓷豎條紋罐Provenance: Stephen K.C. Lo, Hong KongJean-Yves Ollivier Collection來源：香港古董商魯國銓先生舊藏歐宗易先生珍藏Based on the glassy glaze of the present lot, this jar was probably fired in a dragon kiln in south China. The glaze in most cases was applied by the dipping method, which could be proved by the swag-like contour to its lower belly. The form of this jar is thought to have originated from bronze vessels such as the lei, as a substitute for more expensive bronze ware used for burial practices. The vertical ribs on the body appear to have been inspired by motifs found on bronze vessels as well. Compare with the ribbed body of a bronze gui, Western Zhou dynasty, Lot 23 in this catalogue. Animal-mask ornaments were very popular from the Warring States period to the Han dynasty, and were executed on various media including bronze, lacquer and pottery. On the shoulders, two modelled taotie mask fittings are applied to imitate a bronze example which was usually attached to lacquer ware as lug handles. Compare with a pair of silver taotie mask fittings, late Eastern Zhou or Warring States, in this catalogue, Lot 2. A very similar pottery jar, Warring States, is illustrated in 'Highlights of Chinese Ceramics', The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, Fall 1975, p.33, no.3. Compare also with another pottery jar in the Shanghai Museum, of which the lugs are in the form of loop handles instead of taotie masks, illustrated by Liu Liang-yu, Early Wares: Prehistoric to tenth century, Taipei, 1991, p.83. A third jar of similar shape but with different handles is illustrated by Wang Tao, Mirroring China's Past, Chicago, 2018, pl.8.The result of Oxford Authentication Ltd. thermoluminescence test no.P118j35, dated 1 August 2018, is consistent with the dating of this lot.器身所塑的直棱紋應為模仿青銅器紋飾，詳細可比對本專場拍品23號，西周青銅龍紋牲耳簋，器身同樣飾有直棱紋。而器肩所置的獸面耳則流行於戰國時代至漢代，亦可見於當代銅器、漆器以及陶瓷，相似例子可參見本專場推出的一對戰國時代銀獸面鋪首拍品2號。紐約大都會博物館所藏一件相似的戰國陶罐，可作比較，載於「Highlights of Chinese Ceramics（中國陶瓷薈萃）」，《大都會博物館簡報》，1975年秋，第33期，編號3。另外比對上海博物館所藏一例，形制相似，但其罐耳呈圓環狀而非饕餮面，載於劉良佑著，《中國歷代陶瓷鑑賞：史前至五代》，台北，1991年，頁83。最後一例，器身呈類似形狀，但罐耳同樣塑不同形狀，載於汪濤著，《Mirroring China's Past》，芝加哥，2018年，圖8。Oxford Authentication Ltd公司熱釋光檢測結果（2018年8月1日，編號P118j35）顯示年代與本拍品年代一致。