16th Apr, 2026 11:00
TWO-DAY AUCTION: Fine Asian Art, Buddhism and Hinduism
155
A LONGQUAN CELADON ‘WHITE TIGER OF THE WEST’ JAR AND COVER, SOUTHERN SONG DYNASTY
€10,000
€20,000
A buyer’s premium of 30.00% (including VAT) applies to the hammer price of this lot if your bid is successful.
China, 1127-1279. Superbly potted, the ovoid body carved around the exterior with overlapping stiff lotus leaves, rising to a rounded shoulder and a short cylindrical neck with everted flaring rim, a large tiger with finely-incised stripes coiled around the shoulder and upper body facing a recumbent lamb. The shallow domed cover surmounted by a flying bird finial, Covered overall with a soft sea-green glaze.
Provenance: Collection of Martin Månsson, acquired before 1952, and thence by descent. Bonhams London, 10 November 2016, lot 10. English private collection, Dorset, acquired from the above. A copy of the invoice from Bonhams, on 10 November 2016, lot 10, with a purchase price of GBP 49,400 or approx. EUR 79,000 (converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing), accompanies the lot. An old label with a collection number ‘11’ to the cover. Erik Martin Månsson (1880-1952) was a well-known Swedish collector and entrepreneur with early commercial ties to Russia and Japan. From 1911 to 1917 he lived in St. Petersburg, where he ran a business trading high-quality stainless steel and acquired fluency in Russian. After returning to Japan in 1920, he established a new sales operation in Osaka and Kobe and began assembling a distinguished collection of Japanese art, aided by his study of the language. His collection encompassed woodblock prints, netsuke, inro, porcelain, swords, lacquer, and silver. In the 1930s, he expanded his interests to Chinese art, focusing on fine porcelain, Tang silver, and early bronzes, which he studied through publications and in close consultation with the Kyoto dealer Kusaka Shogado. He made his final visit to Japan in 1938, acquiring numerous works that further enriched his collection.
Condition: Excellent condition with minor wear and manufacturing irregularities including small firing cracks and minor glaze abrasion, few tiny chips to the upper rim and foot.
Weight: 1.5 kg
Dimensions: Height 26.4 cm (incl. cover)
The present vessel is decorated with the White Tiger of the West, one of the Animals of the Four Directions (siling) in Chinese cosmology. The White Tiger is shown pursuing a lamb, while a bird is depicted on the cover, possibly alluding to the Red Bird of the South. From the Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) onward, such cosmological creatures were commonly used to decorate coffins and tomb furnishings. Jars of the present type were intended to store provisions for the afterlife, such as grain, and form part of Chinese burial traditions. Another jar with cover, from the Percival David Foundation and now in the British Museum, registration number PDF.204 (one of the pair), features the Green Dragon of the East chasing a flaming pearl. Jars such as the present lot, would have originally been made in pairs with the other one bearing the Green Dragon of the East. Surviving examples of the jars depicting the White Tiger of the West, like the present lot, for some reason are rarer than those with the Green Dragon of the East.
Literature comparison:
Compare a near identical Longquan jar with a tiger and dog applied to the body and a bird on the cover, dated 12th-13th century, 25.2 cm high, from the Percival David Foundation and now in the British Museum, registration number PDF.204. Note this vessel is part of a pair, with the other featuring a dragon encircling the neck. Compare a related jar with dragon, dated 12th-13th century, 25.4 cm tall, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 18.139.1a, b.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby’s London, 14 May 2008, lot 312
Price: GBP 114,500 or approx. EUR 215,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A fine and rare 'Longquan' celadon funerary jar and cover, Southern Song dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, glaze, and decoration. This jar depicts the Green Dragon of the East.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 21 September 2000, lot 282
Price: USD 358,000 or approx. EUR 574,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A Longquan celadon jar and cover, Southern Song dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, glaze, and decoration. This jar depicts the Green Dragon of the East. Note the size (22.5 cm).
China, 1127-1279. Superbly potted, the ovoid body carved around the exterior with overlapping stiff lotus leaves, rising to a rounded shoulder and a short cylindrical neck with everted flaring rim, a large tiger with finely-incised stripes coiled around the shoulder and upper body facing a recumbent lamb. The shallow domed cover surmounted by a flying bird finial, Covered overall with a soft sea-green glaze.
Provenance: Collection of Martin Månsson, acquired before 1952, and thence by descent. Bonhams London, 10 November 2016, lot 10. English private collection, Dorset, acquired from the above. A copy of the invoice from Bonhams, on 10 November 2016, lot 10, with a purchase price of GBP 49,400 or approx. EUR 79,000 (converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing), accompanies the lot. An old label with a collection number ‘11’ to the cover. Erik Martin Månsson (1880-1952) was a well-known Swedish collector and entrepreneur with early commercial ties to Russia and Japan. From 1911 to 1917 he lived in St. Petersburg, where he ran a business trading high-quality stainless steel and acquired fluency in Russian. After returning to Japan in 1920, he established a new sales operation in Osaka and Kobe and began assembling a distinguished collection of Japanese art, aided by his study of the language. His collection encompassed woodblock prints, netsuke, inro, porcelain, swords, lacquer, and silver. In the 1930s, he expanded his interests to Chinese art, focusing on fine porcelain, Tang silver, and early bronzes, which he studied through publications and in close consultation with the Kyoto dealer Kusaka Shogado. He made his final visit to Japan in 1938, acquiring numerous works that further enriched his collection.
Condition: Excellent condition with minor wear and manufacturing irregularities including small firing cracks and minor glaze abrasion, few tiny chips to the upper rim and foot.
Weight: 1.5 kg
Dimensions: Height 26.4 cm (incl. cover)
The present vessel is decorated with the White Tiger of the West, one of the Animals of the Four Directions (siling) in Chinese cosmology. The White Tiger is shown pursuing a lamb, while a bird is depicted on the cover, possibly alluding to the Red Bird of the South. From the Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) onward, such cosmological creatures were commonly used to decorate coffins and tomb furnishings. Jars of the present type were intended to store provisions for the afterlife, such as grain, and form part of Chinese burial traditions. Another jar with cover, from the Percival David Foundation and now in the British Museum, registration number PDF.204 (one of the pair), features the Green Dragon of the East chasing a flaming pearl. Jars such as the present lot, would have originally been made in pairs with the other one bearing the Green Dragon of the East. Surviving examples of the jars depicting the White Tiger of the West, like the present lot, for some reason are rarer than those with the Green Dragon of the East.
Literature comparison:
Compare a near identical Longquan jar with a tiger and dog applied to the body and a bird on the cover, dated 12th-13th century, 25.2 cm high, from the Percival David Foundation and now in the British Museum, registration number PDF.204. Note this vessel is part of a pair, with the other featuring a dragon encircling the neck. Compare a related jar with dragon, dated 12th-13th century, 25.4 cm tall, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 18.139.1a, b.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby’s London, 14 May 2008, lot 312
Price: GBP 114,500 or approx. EUR 215,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A fine and rare 'Longquan' celadon funerary jar and cover, Southern Song dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, glaze, and decoration. This jar depicts the Green Dragon of the East.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 21 September 2000, lot 282
Price: USD 358,000 or approx. EUR 574,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A Longquan celadon jar and cover, Southern Song dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, glaze, and decoration. This jar depicts the Green Dragon of the East. Note the size (22.5 cm).
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Auction: TWO-DAY AUCTION: Fine Asian Art, Buddhism and Hinduism, 16th Apr, 2026
Galerie Zacke is honored to present a major two-day live auction event, featuring 692 works of art from China, India, Southeast Asia, and beyond.
The highlight is our flagship live auction on Day 1 (lots 1-277), showcasing masterpieces of exceptional rarity and provenance. Among them are a monumental and unique gilt-copper head of Buddha, Tibet, 14th century, from the personal collection of Ulrich von Schroeder; an absolutely perfect green-glazed ‘dragon’ bowl, Kangxi mark and period, from the collection of J. J. Lally; one of the largest ever found jade disks, bi, Qijia culture, 74 cm diameter, authenticated by Dr. Gu Fang, collection of Lord Anthony Jacobs, London; a monumental and highly important Sichuan pottery horse, Han dynasty, at a staggering height of 156 cm and a diagonal of over 200 cm, the largest ever recorded from this group, from the Weisbrod collection and TL tested by Oxford Authentication; and the monumental and highly important ‘Kienzle’ stucco statue of Buddha, Gandhara, circa 3rd–5th century, the largest recorded example of its type, rescued during the Taliban advance in 1994.
Day 2 (lots 278-692) continues with our general auction, offering seasoned collectors and new bidders alike an opportunity to enhance their collections. Learn more.
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