Description

Monumental celadon vases were used for flower arrangements, often in pairs in temples or larger households. Most of them, like this example, have survived in Japan. The vase’s glaze is of exceptional color and consistency.

By the Yuan dynasty, Longquan potters mastered techniques to fire vases, jars, and plates of enormous sizes and in great quantities. Some 300 kilns were active in the Longquan area, in Zhejiang province, to supply the domestic and export markets, such as Japan, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and North Africa. Celadons reached Europe as early as the 1400s.