ADAM'S Fine Asian Art 25th June 2025

40 | ADAM’S 81 A RARE LONGQUAN CELADON MALLET-SHAPED VASE 南宋龙泉青釉纸槌瓶 China, Southern Song period of mallet-shaped form, with flared rim over a tapering body in celadon glaze, the neck rising to a broad, flared rim , with a Japanese wooden box H.17.1cm Provenance: from the collection of Japanese collector Terasaki Masaaki (accompanied by the original envelope and invoice, dated Sep- tember 2nd, 1935). 出处：日本藏家寺崎雅章旧藏（有1935年9月2日老信封和发票） € 15,000 - 20,000 Longquan Celadon Glaze and the Origins of the 纸槌瓶 (Mallet-Shaped Vase) Longquan celadon, perfected during the Southern Song dynasty, is celebrated for its thick, translucent glaze that captures a soft, blu- ish-green tone reminiscent of polished jade. Achieving this ideal glaze required careful mastery of raw materials, glaze formulation, application, and a reducing kiln atmosphere. Successful pieces, became raremasterpieces prized for both their visual appeal and tactile quality. In Japan, these celadons became known as kinuta seiji ( 砧青磁) , a term that reflects not only the prized bluish-green glaze but also the association with the mallet-shaped (kinuta) form. The 纸槌瓶 is believed to have first appeared inMing dynasty records. The term likely derives from the vase’s resemblance to themallets used in papermaking to beat pulp. This papermaking technique may have evolved from 漂絮 , the preparation of silk floss using a 砧杵 (pounding tool). Although the tools share certain similarities in form, the exact design of Song dynasty papermakingmallets is unknown, and it remains uncertain whether the term 纸槌瓶 was used at that time or fully understood by later Ming scholars. Considering that “ 椎 ” and “ 槌 ” are variant characters, some scholars suggest that the burnishing tool gifted by Lin Bu during the Northern Song may have been a wooden 槐木纸槌 , similar in form to the 纸槌瓶 . The mallet-shaped form likely drew inspiration from Islamic glass vessels introduced to China during the Tang and early Song periods.