Vase - Porcelain - China - Longquan celadon vase.

1. Description of the vase

This vase is of the meiping type with an octagonal belly, a short neck and a flared foot. It is covered with a deep olive-green celadon glaze. The eight faces are decorated with three registers of molded relief panels. The central panels, shaped like lobed cartouches, are left as biscuit — unglazed earthenware — and depict the Eight Immortals of Taoism among clouds. The upper and lower panels feature peonies and chrysanthemums in relief under the glaze. The concave base is glazed, with at the center a four-character seal: (Zhngguó Lóngquán), meaning "Longquan, China". The unglazed foot displays a vivid rust color characteristic.

2. Stylistic identification

This model corresponds to a rare group of Longquan celadon vases produced during the Yuan dynasty, 14th century. The technique known as molded and biscuit-reserved is specific to this period. The Eight Immortals are relatively rare on Yuan ceramics and constitute an important testament to their early appearance in this medium.