A 'GE' OCTAGONAL VASE (BA FANGHU) SONG DYNASTY

very thinly potted, of pear shape and octagonal section, resting on a slightly flared foot pierced with a circular aperture on the sides, rising from a swelling body and tapering to a gently everted mouth, the collar with a double-band of horizontal raised ribs, flanked by a pair of tubular handles, applied overall with a lustrous opaque creamy-gray glaze, suffused with black and gray craquelure among finer golden-orange crackles, the footrim unglazed and burnt to a dark-brown color in the firing

Collection of an old Chinese-American family, by repute.

The vase is complete with no areas of loss. The network of wide, dark crackle lines extend in a crack that circumnavigates the body with some branching. Whether this crack represents a break or stablized crack is hard to ascertain; on the exterior ultraviolet light and magnification clearly show a greyish-white filler (which is presumably also and adhesive); the interior also shows traces of yellowish adhesive and a number of small glaze flakes associated with the cracks. There is a small glaze chip to the interior edge of the rim which is approx. 1/8 inch. As is characteristic with this glaze there are glaze pulls as visible in the catalogue photograph. Also as is characteristic to this type of ware the gray-brown tone of the glaze is slightly uneven. The vase stands straight.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Ge ware is one of the most celebrated wares of Chinese ceramics, along with the first 'official' 'Ru', and the extensively copied guan. According to Regina Krahl in her discussion of this group in Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, London, 1994, Vol. One, p. 213, 'Originally, the term Ge, often mentioned in classical Chinese literature, may have been applied to a distinct ware from a specific but unidentified kiln; later, however, it appears to have turned into a connoisseurs' term for wares with certain features.'

The shape of this vase, referred to as fanghu (the ba preceding denotes the eight sides), is based on ritual bronze prototypes that were discovered and excavated during the Song dynasty. The Northern Song emperor Huizong (r. 1101-25) was a keen collector of both archaic bronzes and jades and commissioned the production of ceramic vessels after bronze pieces in his collection.

Two similar, but slightly smaller, vases are in the National Palace Museum collection in Taipei, and are illustrated in Porcelain of The National Palace Museum: Ko Ware of the Sung Dynasty, Hong Kong, 1962, pls. 3 and 4 (Fig. 1). Another smaller example is illustrated in Gakuji Hasebe, Ceramic Art of the World: Sung Dynasty, Tokyo, 1977, Volume 12, p. 207, no. 205. A larger vase (height 10 1/2 inches) was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 19th March 1991, lot 506.