Rare Blue-and-White Octagonal Vase, Yuan Dynasty

We are offering this beautiful early Chinese blue-and-white vase from Yuan Dynasty, 14th Century. The thinly-potted vase has an octagonal shape with a raised foot rising to a eight-sided body and a small neck and a wide mouth. The neck is attached with two slender animal-shaped ears each connected to an octagonal ring. The vase is divided into eight panels each on the lower and upper neck, main body, and foot sections. Each panel is decorated with various flowers, leaves and flame patterns typical of Yuan Dynasty blue-and-white ware. All decoration were executed with brilliant deep cobalt blue under a fine clear glaze with bluish tint. An accidental patch of vivid copper-red is visible at the shoulder. The base is flat with a shallow raised foot rim and is unglazed with traces of glaze which has survived the potter's paring knife after glazed was applied. The unglazed area has been burnt orange at firing. The vase is warped and has two openings which are the result of an unsuccessful firing. Vases like this would have been discarded at kiln site without ever been sold. Nevertheless, this vase was treasured by Japanese collectors who used it for flower arrangement during tea ceremonies. The tea masters must have loved the combination of sophisticated achievement of Yuan potters combined with the profound rusticity of this deformed vase. Yuan Dynasty blue-and-white vase of this large size with such a rare shape and superb painting would have been a very expensive treasure if not for the kiln defect. Other than the kiln defect as photographed, this beautiful vase is in excellent condition with a pristine glaze and superb painting by the most desirable brilliant cobalt blue pigment. We acquired this vase which was included in a large collection of antique tea ceremony utensils. It has remained in our family since it was acquired it in early 1960s.
Size: height: 27.5cm; body width: 17.5cm