A YUE CELADON-GLAZED FIGURE OF A RAM, WESTERN JIN DYNASTY China, 265-317. The recumbent animal resting upon its tucked-in hind legs and kneeling forelegs, with a robust rump, the voluminous body incised with wings, a curvaceous spine and short tail, its raised head pierced with a circular aperture on top, detailed with bulging eyes and lop ears encircled by distinct horns.

Provenance: Canadian trade.
Condition: Very good condition commensurate with age, extensive old wear, shallow surface scratches and other traces of use, manufacturing flaws such as pitting, brown spots and glaze recesses, the glaze crackling is intentional, one ear is reattached, with an associated small chip.

Weight: 892 g
Dimensions: Length 19.8 cm

Applied overall with an olive-green glaze suffused by a dense network of crackles, except for the bottom of the four feet where the naked ware is revealed, partially burnt to a dark orange tone in the firing.

Expert's note: This charming piece belongs to a group of playful vessels made for the scholar's desk that was produced in kilns in northern Zhejiang and southern Jiangsu province. Vessels of this form have been unearthed from Three Kingdoms (220-265) and Jin (265-420) dynasty tombs, suggesting that they were highly treasured by their owners.

Literature comparison: Compare two related rams in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures in the Palace Museum. Porcelain of the Jin and Tang Dynasties, Hong Kong, 1996, pls. 30 and 31. Compare one in The Tsui Museum of Art, Hong Kong, published in Chinese Ceramics I, Neolithic to Liao, Hong Kong, 1991, pl. 58, and another in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, illustrated in Michael Sullivan, Chinese Ceramics, Bronzes and Jades in the collection of Sir Alan and Lady Barlow, London, 1963, pl. 71a. A similar ram is also illustrated in The Complete Works of Chinese Ceramics, volume 4, Shanghai, 2000, pl. 163, together with an example without incised lines on the body, excavated from Shaoxing, Zhejiang province, pl. 164.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 25 November 2014, lot 1025
Price: HKD 1,360,000 or approx. EUR 194,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A 'yue' celadon-glazed ram, Western Jin dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form and glaze, including the crackles. Note the slightly smaller size (15 cm), the lack of incisions to mark the fur, and the more elaborate depiction of the head and legs.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby's London, 16 May 2018, lot 68
Price: GBP 50,000 or approx. EUR 64,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A 'yue' celadon-glazed ram, Western Jin dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form and glaze as well as the related size (18 cm). Note that the incision work to mark the fur is slightly more elaborate, as well as the horns and hoofs.


西晉越窯青釉臥羊
中國，265-317年。羊臥伏狀，昂首平視，耳下可見彎曲的圓角。體態肥碩可愛。背部飾對稱的線條紋。腹部淺刻戳點和條紋，似羽翼張揚。線條流暢，造型優美。羊首上端開一圓洞。此器釉色青綠，晶瑩潤澤。釉厚處色調較深，釉薄處則淺淡，整體效果晶瑩明澈，四足底部露胎，呈深橙色。

來源：加拿大古玩交易市場。
品相：品相非常好，與年齡相稱，表面有大量劃痕、磨損和使用痕跡，製造缺陷如褐色斑點、釉面開片，一耳重新銜接過，帶有小磕損。

重量：892 克
尺寸：長19.8 厘米

專家注釋：這件擺件屬於浙江北部和江蘇南部越窯生產的器皿。 三國（220-265）和晉（265-420）代的墓葬出土了這種形式的器皿，表明它們受到主人的高度重視。

文獻比較：比較兩件相近的臥羊，見北京故宮博物館編，《故宮博物院藏文物珍品全集·晉唐瓷器》，香港，1996年，頁30-31。比較另一件臥羊，見香港藝術館編，Chinese Ceramics I, Neolithic to Liao, Hong Kong，1991年，頁58。另一件收藏於牛津的Ashmolean Museum，見Michael Sullivan編，Chinese Ceramics, Bronzes and Jades in the collection of Sir Alan and Lady Barlow，倫敦，1963年，頁71a。一件相似的臥羊，見《中國陶瓷全集》，輯四，上海，2000年，頁163。同本書另一件沒有刻紋的臥羊，出土於浙江江蘇，頁164。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：非常相近
拍賣：香港蘇富比，2014年11月25日, lot 1025
價格：HKD 1,360,000（相當於今日EUR 194,000）
描述：西晉越窯青釉臥羊
專家評論：比較相似的外型、釉色和釉面開片，但沒有標記皮毛紋路，頭部和足部雕刻較細緻。請注意尺寸較小 (15 厘米)。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：非常相近
拍賣：倫敦蘇富比, 16 May 2018, lot 68
價格：GBP 50,000 （相當於今日EUR 64,000）
描述：西晉越窯青釉臥羊
專家評論：比較相似的外型、釉色和尺寸 (18 厘米)。請注意皮毛紋路、羊角和蹄雕刻較細緻。