A FINE AND RARE 'DING' LOBED BOWL NORTHERN SONG DYNASTY

the six gently curved lobes rising from a short tapering foot to an indented everted rim, finely and freely carved and combed to the interior with a medallion enclosing a leafy lotus spray, encircled in each lobe with alternating leafy lotus sprays and swimming ducks all among waves, covered overall with a clear ivory glaze pooling in characteristic tear-drops down the exterior, the rim copper bound

Yamanaka & Co., London (paper label to the base).

Chinese Gold, Silver and Porcelain. The Kempe Collection, Asia House Gallery, New York, 1971, cat. no. 110, an exhibition touring the United States and shown also at nine other museums.

'Hsing-Yao and Ting-Yao', The Bulletin of Far Eastern Antiquities, no. 25, 1953, Stockholm, 1953, pls. 84, 85, fig. 73.

Bo Gyllensvärd, Chinese Ceramics in the Carl Kempe Collection, Stockholm, 1964, pl. 456.

Jan Wirgin, Sung Ceramic Designs, Stockholm, 1970, pl. 64a, fig. 8e.

The World's Great Collections. Oriental Ceramics, vol. 8, Tokyo, 1982, pl. 108.

Chinese Ceramics in the Carl Kempe Collection, The Museum of Art and Far Eastern Antiquities in Ulricehamn, Ulricehamn, 2002, pl. 658.

With the exception of an iron-spot impurity to the glaze in the medallion, a tiny deep scratch to the medalion, five iron-spot impurities to the lobed well, a 3mm., blister to the lobed well, very light glaze scratches and minor firing and glaze imperfections, this rare and finely carved and combed dish is in very good overall condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The present bowl represents the superb stylistic achievements of the 'Ding' potter and the carving is done in an exceptionally crisp and deep manner, which accentuates the flowing lines of the decoration. 'Ding' wares are ranked among the 'five great wares of the Song', a term used by collectors of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, and the Dingzhou kilns have been identified at Quyang in Ding county, Hebei province. Celebrated for their thin potting, fine white body, which does not require a slip to appear white after firing, and an ivory-coloured glaze which tends to run down in somewhat darker 'tears', 'Ding' wares became renowned for their elegant forms that often derived from contemporaneous silver and lacquer vessels. It was no wonder that they found favour with the court and wealthy monasteries during the Song and Jin periods.

Another characteristic of 'Ding' ware is the use of metal to bind the rim. This was done in part to conceal the unglazed rim as wares were stacked upside-down in their saggers or firing containers and the mouth rim wiped free of glaze to prevent it from attaching to the kiln furniture. The contrasting colour of the distinctive bronze, copper, and sometimes precious metal rims, also enhanced the aesthetic beauty of the wares while setting the 'Ding' ware apart from the ordinary. 

Ducks, symbolic of a happy marriage, and the lotus, one of the Buddhist Eight Auspicious Symbols, were popular decorative motifs with Song dynasty decorators and often featured on ceramics. However it is unusual to find a bowl with alternating ducks and lotus blooms incised into the moulded panels of the wall. Only one other identical bowl from the Qing Court collection in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is known, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Porcelain of the Song Dynasty I, Hong Kong, 1996, pl. 61.

A bowl of this type, but decorated only with floral blooms, is published ibid., pl. 45; two from the National Palace Museum, Taibei, were included in The Special Exhibition of Ting White Ware Porcelain, National Palace Museum, Taibei, 1987, cat. nos. 51 and 103; and another with peony blooms was included in the exhibition White Porcelain of Ding Yao, Nezu Institute of Fine Arts, Tokyo, 1983, cat. no. 132. Compare two bowls with a central lotus medallion and plain walls also exhibited ibid., cat. nos. 130 and 131; and another in the Heeramaneck collection, illustrated in Jan Wirgin, Sung Ceramic Designs, Stockholm, 1970, pl. 58c.