Lot 4
  • 4

A SPLASHED PURPLE-BACK 'JUN' BOWL SONG / JIN DYNASTY

Estimate
50,000 - 70,000 USD
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Description

  • ceramic
the deep flaring sides rising to a slightly incurved rim, covered overall in a rich sky-blue glaze punctuated with two vivid crimson-purple splashes on the interior, thinning to a dark-brown flecked mushroom tone at the rim, the underside liberally glazed in a bubble-suffused magenta color transmuting to sky-blue at the rim and base, stopping in an uneven line above the neatly knife-pared foot unglazed revealing the buff-orange body, Japanese wood box

Provenance

Collection of Sir Edward Stern.
Collection of Montague Meyer.
Christie's London, 14th April 1980, lot 239.

Condition

There is a two part fine curved line in the glaze visible on the interior and apparently following a potting line partly visible on the exterior around the lower body. There is a single fine hairline crack in the glaze on both sides of the rim approximately 2 1/2 inches (6.5 cm) to the left of the smaller interior splash. There is a characteristic glaze pull and a glaze flaw to the interior, visible in the catalogue photos.
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.

Catalogue Note

Purple-splashed ‘Jun’ bowls of this classic Northern Song shape are remarkable for their splendid coloration which displays a range of red and lavender tones. Rose Kerr in Song Dynasty Ceramics, London, 2004, p. 34, notes that the splashes found on ‘Jun’ wares are made with the brush application of copper in broad strokes or washes to dry bluish glazes, which then merged when fired. This copper painting provided a striking contrast with the thick bright blue glaze beneath and resulted in unique designs. Bowls of this type derive their aesthetic beauty from their elegant shape and rich glaze. Although such copper-splashed blue-glazed bowls are a characteristic product of the 'Jun' kilns of Henan, it is exceedingly rare to find a piece with such exquisite overall magenta coloring on the outside.

Splashed bowls of similar size include one from the Eumorfopoulos collection, sold twice in our London rooms, 29th May 1940, lot 193, and 10th November 2004, lot 541; and a slightly larger bowl in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, illustrated in Oriental Ceramics. The World’s Great Collections, vol. 11, Tokyo, 1982, pl. 47.