Chinese Antique Blue and White Jar Yuan Dynasty

This jar is from: South China Sea Discovery Chinese Antique Company. 

Size: 

• Height: 23cm 
• Mouth: 16cm
• Base: 15.3cm

This is indeed a dramatic change of fortune for Yuan Blue and white wares considering that little was known about them prior to A.D 1950.  Before A.D 1950  RL Hobson had in A.D 1929 highlighted a pair of Yuan vases in the Percival David Foundation in his writings. But it did not raise much interest.  The pioneering work in the identification of Yuan blue and white was done in A.D 1952 by Dr John Pope.  He identified a group of Yuan blue and white in the Istanbul Topkapi Museum and the Iran Ardebil Shrine which possesses motifs which are stylistically similar to those on the pair of David Vases.  The pair of vases was a donation to the temple by a devotee named Zhang Wenjin （张文进）seeking blessings for his family.  This is mentioned in the inscription on the neck of the vases. It also has a date Zhi Zheng （至正）11th year, ie A.D 1351.  Blue and white wares which are stylistically similar to the David vases are termed Zhi Zheng type.

The pair of vases was last placed in the Bejing Zhihua (智化）Temple but smuggled out of China in 1929 to Europe by a overseas chinese.  It subsequently ended up in the possession of Sir Percival David.

Subsequently, a pair of qingbai glaze pagoda-shaped vases with simple floral scrolls dated to Yuanyou (元祐） 6th year　(A.D. 1319) was excavated in Hubei.  It was initially thought to be decorated with a grayish cobalt blue.  As the execution of the motif looks experimental and lacks the sophistication and maturity of the Zhi Zheng type blue and white, the Chinese experts viewed them as early Yuan Blue and white and termed them Yuanyou type.