A FINE PURPLE-SPLASHED 'JUN' BUBBLE BOWL SONG DYNASTY

well potted, with steeply rounded sides on a neatly finished foot ncurved towards the rim, the interior applied with a finely bubbled milky-blue glaze, vividly splashed in lavender-blue shading to purplish-red in five swirls, the exterior with a striking crescent shaped-splash amidst other shadowy streaks, pooling above the foot to reveal the chocolate color ware, draining to a buff at the rim

This is in good condition overall with one pinhole on the exterior glaze. The is slightly washed out, while the purple is slightly darker, in the catalogue illustration.
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.

Among the genre of Song dynasty ceramics, 'Jun' bubble bowls are perhaps the most tactile and personal of items, as the small rounded sides and unctuous glaze allow the bowls to conform perfectly to the hands.

Similar examples are included in some of the world's most prestigious collections of Chinese ceramics, including one in the Palace Museum in Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Porcelain of the Song Dynasty (I), Hong Kong, 1996, pl. 222. Compare also a 'Jun' bubble bowl in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, originally also from the Eumorfopoulos collection, illustrated in Rose Kerr, Song Dynasty Ceramics, London, 2004, pl. 26. Two famous 'Jun' bubble bowls from the Edward T. Chow collection, perhaps the best extant examples, both sold in our London rooms, 16th December 1980, lots 264 and 265, and again in these rooms, the former on 19th May 1987, lot 209, and later in the T.T. Tsui collection; the latter on 7th June 2000, lot 93.

According to Rose Kerr, ibid., p. 34, the splashes found on 'Jun' wares are made with the application of copper brushwork to dry glazes in broad strokes or washes, which then merged with the bluish 'Jun' glazes at full heat. This copper painting provided a striking contrast to the thick bright blue glaze beneath giving each vessel decorated in this manner its unique design.