China, 12^th-15^th century. Covered overall in a very fine, thickly applied creamy-white glaze suffused with an attractive two-tone crackle of gold and iron-red, the glaze falling short of the foot to reveal the buff body with small areas burnt to faint orange in the firing. The glaze to the interior with crackling in iron red only and with a section of the inner neck left unglazed.

Provenance: Old French private collection.
Condition: Old wear, traces of use and firing flaws, such as firing cracks and dark spots, the rim and foot with some chips and small losses. A section of the neck, circa 10x2 cm in size, was broken off and has been put back in place. All damages are well visible under blue light and we can send detailed images showing them upon request – there is nothing hidden.

Weight: 3,806 g
Dimensions: Height 34.8 cm

Of upright rectangular form and square section, thickly potted, molded with thirteen horizontal flanges reaching around each corner, alternately joined to vertical ribs extending up each edge leaving a plain column in the center of each side, the flat shoulder surmounted by a short cylindrical neck, all supported on a short foot ring of similar form.

Literature comparison: A vase of similar form and slightly smaller size with a similar crackle is included in the Illustrated Catalogue of Sung Dynasty Porcelain in the National Palace Museum: Lung-ch'üan Ware, Ko Ware and Other Wares, Taipei, 1974, pl. 9; another similarly crackled piece in Beijing is published in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Porcelain of the Sung Dynasty, vol. II, Hong Kong, 1996, pl.97. Compare a closely related crackle-glazed cong vase, dated to the Southern Song dynasty, but of slightly smaller size, in the collection of the British Museum, museum number 1927,0112.1.

Auction result comparison: Compare a closely related guan-type cong vase, dated to the Song dynasty and with a very similar form, specifically the shape of the neck, and crackle, but of slightly smaller size and with a very pale celadon glaze, at Sotheby’s London in Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art on 9 June 2004, lot 180, sold for GBP 100,800. Compare a related but later guan-type Yixing cong vase, dated to the 16^th century, at Christie’s Hong Kong in The Imperial Sale & Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art on 3 June 2015, lot 3251, sold for HKD 750,000. The later vase shows a denser crackle as well as a narrower mouth and foot, and in this regard the vase at Sotheby’s is much closer to the present lot.

南宋至明初大型仿官釉琮式瓶
中國，十二至十五世紀。胎骨極為厚重，仿玉琮形制，整體覆以細膩乳白色釉料，開片裂痕中略透金黃色；底部圈足不上釉，成鐵色，局部淡橙色；瓶內釉面開片成鐵紅色，內頸局部未上釉。

來源：法國私人老收藏。
品相：舊時磨損、使用痕跡和燒製缺陷，如燒製裂紋和黑點，邊緣和足部有一些磕損。頸部局部有約 10x2 厘米斷裂但已恢復到原處。所有損壞在藍光下都清晰可見，我們可以根據需要提供詳細圖片，不會隱藏任何細節。

重量：3,806 克
尺寸：高34.8 厘米

拍賣結果比較：一件相近宋代仿官釉琮式瓶，形制相近，特別是頸部綫條，開片釉，但尺寸稍小，青釉，見倫敦蘇富比 Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art，2004年6月9日，lot 180，售價GBP 100,800。一件相近宜興琮式瓶，十六世紀，見香港佳士得The Imperial Sale & Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art，2015年6月3日，lot 3251，售價HKD 750,000。第二件琮式瓶呈現出更密集的開片以及更窄的瓶口和圈足，所以蘇富比的琮式瓶更接近現在的拍品。