Dimension: 12.1cmHeight, 12.0Width

Description

An extremely well-potted with almost equal both height and width blue and white small guan jar with original cover decorated with 5-clawed dragons  flying among clounds on its external cavetto, above it on the vessel’s shoulder is a scroll of lotus flowers and its foliage, and below surrounded with a lotus lappets, the cover painted with stylized clouds form. The vessel is covered with sensuous silky unctuous glaze with greenish tinge including the internal sides except the foot rim revealing fine off white body paste, the base marked with the word tian 天.

The pale blue with greyish tinge cobalt used on this mid-15^th century piece right afte the blank period was sourced locally in China as the imported Persian cobalt has been exhausted. The dragons, lotuses, clouds and lotus lappets are very delicated drawn including the double lines that can be seen on the cover and on the gently curved shoulder. The thin potting allows some light to pass through by shining a strong light into the jar. More spectacular is the the smooth and silky glaze that covers evenly on this vessel.

Provenance: Acquired by a team from a shipwreck in an undisclosed location at Java Sea