A rare under glaze-blue and copper red jar to be sold at the upcoming auction of Sotheby's in Hong Kong is expected to set a new record of Chinese porcelain.
The jar, made in the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368), is expected to be sold at more than 44 million HK dollars (US$5.64 million), the record of Chinese porcelain set by a Wucai "fish" jar made in Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
The jar fully reflects the Yuan potter's skills. Its large size and heavy walls demanded competence in potting to avoid cracks and deformation during firing; and its two-colored style decoration was outstanding at that time.
Such work had since not been attempted again until the 18th century, according to Sotheby's, which will host the auction on Oct. 30 in Hong Kong.
It said such demanding productions remained rare. The jar of this kind has only three other companion pieces, which are respectively stored in the Palace Museum in Beijing, Hebei Provincial Museum and a foundation named Percival David in London.
The jar had long been underestimated and had served as an umbrella stand in a European noble family until 1972, when it fetched a world record of 220,000 British pounds for Chinese porcelain in a London auction.
(Xinhua News Agency October 10, 2002)
