A LARGE PAIR OF QINGBAI GLAZED BURIAL VASES WITH DAOIST DECORATION China, Song dynasty (969-1279). The tall vases consisting of an egg-shaped belly, a long cylindrical neck decorated in the applique technique with twelve standing figures and various animals representing the zodiac, a flying dragon, the sun and the moon. The bell-shaped cover crowned by a phoenix, of which one is looking up and the other looking down. Overall covered with a greenish-blue glaze, except for the flat base, revealing the sand-colored buff. Condition: Good age-related condition with some wear and firring flaws. One vase with a hairline to mouth rim and the other with chips to base rim. Provenance: Edward Pranger Oriental Arts (PAN Amsterdam 2000). Dr. Koos de Jong, acquired from the above. 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. Weight: 8.8 and 19.6 kg Dimensions: Height c. 84 cm without cover and 101 cm with cover each Literature comparison: Compare to similar vases in He Li, Chinese Ceramic, The New Standard Guide From the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, London 1996, no. 370 and in Wu Hung, The Art of the Yellow Springs, Honolulu 2010, p. 160.