A CHINESE LONGQUAN CELADON VASE MING DYNASTY The tall ovoid body supported on a gently spreading foot, surmounted by a short cylindrical neck with a raised lip to the rim, carved to the exterior with two large stylised flowerheads growing amongst leafy branches between floral bands, all decorated with a tranquil sage green glaze, 37cm. Provenance: from the collection of Professor Ronald N Arnold (1908-1963) and thence by descent. Professor Arnold was Regius Professor of Engineering at Edinburgh University from 1947 until his death. Following ill health, in 1953 he began to collect Chinese porcelain in his free time, buying most of his pieces from small antique shops and auctioneers in Edinburgh and London. Through the art historian David Talbot-Rice, Professor Arnold became acquainted with several experts in the field of East Asian ceramics, including Sir Harry Garner and Soame Jenyns.