A SMALL LONGQUAN CELADON-GLAZED GUAN CENSER, SOUTHERN SONG China, 1127-1279. The censer with a compressed globular body flanked by two stylized dragon handles, covered overall with a thick, unctuous and finely crackled glaze of sea-green tone, leaving the short circular foot ring unglazed revealing the buff ware while the recessed base is glazed. Provenance: Kunsthandel Joseph M. Morpurgo, Amsterdam, Anny Wafelman-Morpurgo (1931-2019). Dr. Koos de Jong, acquired from the above in 1999 (invoice not available). Joseph M. Morpurgo was the first of four generations of antique dealers when he opened his shop in 1869. In 1953, Anny Wafelman-Morpurgo joined the business. She was gifted with a good eye for quality and special works of arts. 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: Excellent condition with old wear and minor firing irregularities. Weight: 173.4 g Dimensions: Height 6.5 cm R. Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, Vol. I, London 1994, nr. 554, p. 296, notes the following regarding this type of stoneware: "The extremely fine glaze, attractive crackle and thin potting link this piece closely with the official (guan) ware of the Southern Song dynasty, made in the capital Hangzhou. It's somewhat uneven potting, however, and the fact that at the foot-ring the body was coloured with an iron-rich wash to simulate the darker body of guan ware, suggests that the piece was not produced for the court. It may have been made at Hangzhou, where a great variety of guan and guan-type wares was produced, or at one of the Longquan kilns where guan ware was extensively and successfully copied." With an associated box. (2) Literature comparison: Guan Ware, National Palace Museum, Taipei 1989, no. 36, p. 78. Wen C. Fong and J.C.Y. Watt, Possessing the Past. Treasures from the National Palace Museum, Taipei. Orientations, Nov. 1993, p.p. 72- 75. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York 1996, p. 245, ill. 124 Auction result comparison: Compare with a related, only slightly larger and possibly older censer sold by Christie's Hong Kong in The Imperial Sale / Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art on 31 May 2017, lot 3137, for HKD $400,000. 龍泉青瓷雙耳爐，南宋 中國，1127-1279。香爐鼓腹，兩側龍形執柄，爐身覆蓋著厚厚的海綠色青釉，釉面開片，圈足圓形腳環未上釉，露出淺黃色的内胎，凹進的底座上釉。 來源：阿姆斯特丹Joseph M. Morpurgo藝廊。Anny Wafelman-Morpurgo (1931-2019)。Joseph M. Morpurgo 1869年成立藝廊，是四代古董商的第一代。1953年，Anny Wafelman-Morpurgo 加入業務。她對藝術品的質量及特殊性有機好的鑒賞力。Drs. Koos de Jong 1999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：品相極好，老磨損及輕微燒製缺陷。 重量：173.4 克 尺寸：高 6.5 厘米 拍賣結果比較：一個相近但稍大并且可能年代久遠些的香爐于2017年5月31日香港佳士得《重要中國陶瓷及工藝品》，拍號3137，成交價HKD $400,000。