2 Yuan & Ming Celadon Bowls – Twin Fish & Lotus Motifs (Auction 2026-06-05, Lot 203)

$642.50

East Asia, China, Longquan kilns, Yuan Dynasty, ca. 13th to 14th century CE; Ming Dynasty, ca. 14th to 17th century CE. A scholarly pair of celadon-glazed bowls: the larger a Ming dish with an elegant lotus-barbed rim and a soft underglaze floral scroll, the smaller a Yuan example centered by the classic molded twin-fish medallion, each bathed in the spectrum of Longquan greens from cool sea-green to brownish-olive, their raised motifs subtly revealed where the glaze thins to produce a gentle relief. Thrown in high-fired porcellaneous stoneware and glazed inside and out, the Ming bowl presents a lobed profile on a neat footring with incised vegetal ornament to the interior and floral panels to the exterior; the Yuan bowl is broad and shallow with an everted lip and a raised double-fish design in the well, an auspicious emblem of abundance and harmonious union. Size of larger (floral motif): 9″ Diameter x 2″ H (22.9 cm x 5.1 cm)

Bowls of this type were mass-produced at Longquan from the late Southern Song through the Yuan, with excavated parallels from kiln complexes at Shangyan’er, Dayao, and Jincun and comparable examples in major museums; such wares were likely used for serving or presentation at the table.

Provenance: private collection of S. Saunders, Nogales Arizona, USA collection

Condition: Good. “Twin Fish” motif dish has been professionally repaired with some minor chipping and infill along visible break lines and some light restoration and repainting over other break lines. Both have some small nicks and pitting, commensurate with age. Otherwise, larger is intact and both are very nice with liberal remaining detail and nice craqueleure to glaze.