A GOOD 'DING' RUSSET AND BLACK-GLAZED BOWL NORTHERN SONG DYNASTY

of well potted tapering conical form, on a short foot,  the exposed white rim suffused with a russet-glaze fading to an olive/black to the centre, the reverse similarly spectacularly coloured, the footrim unglazed

The bowl is of good overall condition with the exception of: one small glaze pull (ca. 0.5cm) to the exterior. Light scratching to the glaze of the exterior and interior, particularly to the centre (as partially visible in the catalogue illustration). Light rubbing in some areas to the glaze on the exterior. The glaze is more defined and glossy than the illustration suggests.
"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."

This 'Ding' bowl belongs to one of the rarest and most highly prized groups of Song wares. 'Ding' vessels covered with russet and black glazes are extremely rare and the glaze found on this bowl is especially lustrous and glossy. The thin potting of the very fine white body, as seen exposed at the foot and equally visible through the slip at the rim, and the perfectly shaped conival form of this bowl are characteristic of the finest 'Ding' vessels developed in the Dingzhou kilns at Quyang, Ding county, Hebei province in the Northern Song period. 

The closest comparable example to the present piece is the 'Ding' bowl in the Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, Mass., of classic conical form with variegated deep russet glaze with small brown flecks, illustrated in Robert D. Mowry, Hare's Fur, Tortoiseshell, and Partridge Feathers, Cambridge, Mass., 1995, pl. 16. Mowry, ibid., p. 112, also mentions a related unpublished russet 'Ding' bowl in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco that has the same shape, footring type and exposed ring of body clay above the foot, but its glaze has a more intense russet skin, and it lacks the flecks found on the Sackler bowl.

See also a black 'Ding' bowl decorated with the pattern of 'partridge feathers' in brown glaze, from the collections of Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Bernat and the Manno Art Museum, Tokyo, sold in our New York rooms, 7th November 1980, lot 91, and again at Christie's Hong Kong, 28th October 2002, lot 515; and a smaller dark 'Ding' bowl with prominent russet splashes, in the Hebei Provincial Museum, published in Zhongguo wenwu jinghua daquan. Taoci juan, Hong Kong, 1993, pl. 346.