A 'Jun' tripod censer Jin dynasty

well potted, the flattened everted rim poised above the wide straight neck and compressed globular body, all supported on three 'pinched' cabriole legs, covered overall in a thick, brilliant sky-blue glaze, thinning at the rims and extremities to a pale mushroom tone, part of the interior and feet left unglazed revealing the body burnt russet-orange in the firing

There is some restoration to one leg and there are some small glaze flakes to the rim, the largest restored over an area of 3 cm. There is a very fine star crackle to the base, approx. 8 cm, and a faint star crackle to the interior of the neck, approx. 2 cm wide, but both of these are superficial and only to the glaze. There are also a few small iron spots, mostly confined to the interior. The blue glaze is much richer than as illustrated in the catalogue photograph.
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.

The  blue-glazed wares from the typesite in Yuzhou, Henan province, an area fromerly known as Junzhou, are remarkable for their luscious thick glaze of intense coloration which can vary from light blue to deep turquoise-blue.  Similar 'Jun' censers are known in various sizes and proportions; compare for example a piece excavated at Huangzhuang, Yuxian in Henan province, close to the 'Jun' kiln sites, illustrated in Henan Sheng Bowuguan, Beijing, 1985, pl. 128.  See also a smaller lavender-blue censer included in the Porcelain of the National Palace Museum, Chun Ware of the Song Dynasty, Hong Kong 1961, pl. 42; another slightly smaller vessel sold in our London rooms; and a small splashed censer of this form published in John Ayers, The Baur Collection, Geneva. Chinese Ceramics, vol.1, Geneva, 1968, pl. A37.