A LONGQUAN MALLET VASE, SOUTHERN SONG China, 1127-1279. The body with angular, sloping shoulders, rising to a tall neck flanked by a pair of handles in the form of dragon-headed fish, below the widely flared, dish-shaped mouth. The vase is covered overall with an even, finely crackled celadon glaze of olive-green color, leaving the greyish foot ring unglazed. Provenance: E.W. Hendriks Oriental Art, Amsterdam. Dr. Koos de Jong, acquired from the above in 1998 (invoice not available). Dr. de Jong is a Dutch art historian and has been privately collecting Chinese art over decades. He has authored hundreds of articles and several books on Dutch fine and decorative arts spanning from the Middle Ages to the modern era. In 2013, he published an extensive study of Chinese riding gear in "Dragon & Horse, Saddle Rugs and Other Horse Tack from China and Beyond". Between 1976 and 2009 he worked for numerous museums across the Netherlands and was the director of the European Ceramic Work Center in Den Bosch. Condition: Good condition with old wear and firing flaws, one minuscule chip around the foot ring. One small filling to lower end of one of the handles. Some of the mottled and intentionally crackled glaze variegations around the neck may look like restorations but have without exception been determined as authentic and undamaged after inspection under a very strong blue light. Weight: 391.9 g Dimensions: Height 17 cm The "dragon-fish" was used as a symbol for the literati. The carp, able to swim against a strong current, symbolized the perseverance that the literati had to show to pass the tough state exam. There was a belief that carp who wanted to swim upstream in the Yellow River had to jump over the rapids of the Dragon Gate. The first to succeed, turned into a dragon. That is why this performance was a metaphor for an unmediated student who, by passing the state exam, managed to achieve a high position. This made the vase particularly suitable as a gift to a literate senior official. Literature comparison: Benjamin J. Stein, Longquan Celadons, Amsterdam 1982, no. 4, p. 13. M. Medley, The Chinese Potter, Oxford 1989, p. 149, fig. 109. G. Gompertz, Chinese Celadon Wares, London 1958, no. 68, p. 56. R. Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, Vol. I, London 1994, no. 570, p. 304. Percifal David Foundation Colloquies, London 2003, no. 22, p. 71, fig. 11. Rose Kerr, Song Ceramics, Victoria and Albert Museum, London 2004, no. 95, p. 94. Priestley & Ferraro, London 2017, no. 10. Auction result comparison: Compare with a closely related mallet vase sold by Christie's New York in Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art on 17 March 2017, lot 1164, for USD $25,000. 龍泉窯青釉魚耳瓶，南宋 中國，1127-1279。削肩，長頸，兩側是一對魚形雙耳，碟形嘴。 瓶身均匀施橄欖綠青釉，青瓷釉開片，灰色的圈足未上釉。 來源：阿姆斯特丹E.W. Hendriks 東方藝術。Drs. Koos de Jong 1998年購於上述收藏(發票已遺失)。 Drs. Koos de Jong是一位荷蘭藝術史學家，幾十年來他一直私人收藏中國藝術品。他撰寫了數百篇文章和幾本書，內容涉及從中世紀到現代的荷蘭美術和裝飾藝術。2013年，他在《Dragon & Horse：Saddle Rugs and Other Horse Tack from China and Beyond》中發表了有關中國騎馬裝備的詳盡研究。1976年至2009年間，他曾在荷蘭的許多博物館工作，並曾擔任登博世歐洲陶瓷工作中心的主任。 品相：品相良好，老磨損和燒紙瑕疵，圈足処有一個微小的開裂。 一個小填充物在一耳下端。 頸部有一些斑點和特意開片的釉面雜色看起來像是修復物，但在非常強的藍光下檢查後，被確定為真實且未損壞。 重量：391.9 克 尺寸：高 17 厘米 拍賣結果比較：一件極其接近的魚耳瓶2017年3月17日于香港佳士得拍號1164，成交價USD $25,000。