A RARE ‘THREE-LEGGED TOAD’ CELADON-GLAZED WATER POT, ANNAM, 15TH-16TH CENTURY
Standing on three legs, the toad gently lifts its head. Its body is decorated with raised warts as well as scroll designs along its spine, its well detailed face has an animated mouth and prominent arched brows. Covered overall with a finely crackled celadon glaze, thinning considerably to the raised sections. The top of the toad’s back with a large circular aperture with raised rim.


Provenance:
From a notable private collection in Bavaria, Germany.

Condition:
Very good condition with expected old wear and some firing irregularities, minor glaze flaking, fritting and few minuscule chips.

Weight: 182.6 g
Dimensions: Length 12.8 cm


The three-legged toad
represents a popular feng shui charm for prosperity. It is usually depicted as a bullfrog with bulging eyes, flared nostrils and only one hind leg. According to feng shui beliefs, the toad helps to attract and protect wealth, and guards against bad luck. This three-legged toad, associated with the Chinese immortal Liu Hai, was also a popular motif in Vietnamese and Korean art. See, for example, a related white porcelain toad-shaped water dropper, dated to the Joseon dynasty, in the National Museum of Korea, accession number Namsan 409.


Literature comparison:

Compare a closely related Annamese green-glazed toad-form water dropper, dated 15th-16th century, at Christie’s London, 7 December 1984, lot 29, and illustrated in Adrian Joseph, Chinese and Annamese Ceramics, no. 78.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Distantly related
Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 24 March 2023, lot 612
Price: USD 22,500 or approx.
EUR 24,000
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A 'Yue' celadon-glazed 'toad' water dropper, Western Jin dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the related subject.




安南十五至十六世紀罕見青釉三足蟾水盂

蟾蜍三足站立，微微抬頭。它的身體上有著凸起的疙瘩，面部表情生動，一張大嘴和突出的眉毛。整體施青釉，釉面開片。蟾蜍背部的頂部有一個大的圓孔，邊緣凸起。


來源：
德國巴伐利亞知名收藏。

品相：
狀況極好，有磨損和一些燒製不規則、輕微的釉料剝落、熔結和一些微小的碎片。

重量：182.6 克
尺寸：長 12.8 厘米


文獻比較：

比較一件非常相近的十五至十六世紀安南蟾蜍水盂，見倫敦佳士得，1984年12月7日，lot 29，見Adrian Joseph，《Chinese and Annamese Ceramics》，編號78。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：稍微相近
拍賣：紐約蘇富比，2023年3月24日，lot 612
價格：USD 22,500（相當於今日
EUR 24,000
）
描述：西晉越窰青釉蛙形水盂
專家評論：比較相近的主題。