A MAGNIFICIENT AND RARE 'JUN' MALLOW-SHAPED LAVENDER-GLAZED IMPERIAL FLOWERPOT MING DYNASTY, EARLY 15TH CENTURY

THIS IS A PREMIUM LOT. CLIENTS WHO WISH TO BID ON PREMIUM LOTS MAY BE REQUESTED BY SOTHEBY'S TO COMPLETE THE PRE-REGISTRATION APPLICATION FORM AND TO DELIVER TO SOTHEBY'S A DEPOSIT OF HK$2,500,000, OR SUCH OTHER HIGHER AMOUNT AS MAY BE DETERMINED BY SOTHEBY'S, AND ANY FINANCIAL REFERENCES, GUARANTEES AND/OR SUCH OTHER SECURITY AS SOTHEBY'S MAY REQUIRE IN ITS ABSOLUTE DISCRETION AS SECURITY FOR THE BID. THE BIDnow ONLINE BIDDING SERVICE IS NOT AVAILABLE FOR PREMIUM LOTS.

superbly potted of hexagonal section with deep bracket-lobed flaring sides rising from a slightly splayed foot to a broad everted galleried rim, covered overall with a lustrous lavender glaze heightened with vivid sky-blue and deep pinkish-purple shades, draining away from the mouthrim and between the lobes to reveal a mushroom-brown tone, the interior predominantly of deep sky-blue colour with the lavender glaze cascading down resembling waterfalls between the mushroom-brown ridges, the footring unglazed, the base dressed in olive-brown with shades of golden brown over five pierced drainage holes and incised with the numeral san ('three')

Sotheby's Hong Kong, 5th November 1996, lot 721.
Sotheby's New York, 18th March 2008, lot 91.

This exceptionally richly and vividly splashed flowerpot is in good overall condition with the exception of light areas of re-touching to three hairline cracks: one extending from just above the foot on the exterior up across one lobe, over the rim and back down the interior to one of the pierced holes in the base, end at another hole; one extending again from just above the foot on the exterior in a more or less vertical line over the rim and 11cm. down the interior; the third extending from the rim circa 8cm. down the exterior and 14cm. vertically down the interior; restoration to three shallow flakes on the exterior of the foot (5 x 1.5cm; 2 x 2cm; and 4 x 2cm.); and light glaze scratches around the body, in particular below the rim on the interior.
"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."

The brilliant tones and its perfectly formed shape set this flowerpot apart as one of the most vibrant examples of its type. The fascination with Jun wares is its glaze, artfully applied over simple forms to accentuate the nuances of the thickly applied colour. It belongs to a group of flower receptacles that were created in mould-made shapes before coated in striking tones of blue and purple and the base inscribed with a number between one and ten. These vessels remained highly valued from the time of their production onwards as evidenced in their appearance in Qing imperial paintings, including one of the famous Twelve Beauties at Leisure Painted for Prince Yinzhen, the Future Yongzheng Emperor, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, included in the exhibition China. The Three Emperors 1662-1795, The Royal Academy of Arts, London, 2005, cat. no. 173. Painted for the Yongzheng Emperor when he was Prince Yinzhen during the reign of his father, Kangxi, the scene contains a similar purple-splashed flowerpot resting on a windowsill in the lady’s chamber. 

A related flowerpot inscribed with the same number san (three) is illustrated in A Panorama of Ceramics in the Collection of the National Palace Museum. Chun Ware, Taipei, 1999, pl. 22, together with two of different colour, one with the numeral wu (five), pl. 23, and the other with the numeral qi (seven), pl. 24. Compare also two flowerpots of this type, from the Qing Court collection and still in Beijing, published in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Porcelain of the Song Dynasty (I), Hong Kong, 1996, pls. 15 and 16; one in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, included in Oriental Ceramics. The World’s Great Collections, vol. 11, Tokyo, 1982, pl. 67; and a fourth flowerpot published in R.L. Hobson, The George Eumorfopoulos Collection Catalogue of Chinese, Corean and Persian Pottery and Porcelain, vol. 3, London, 1926, pl. III, no. C16, sold in our London rooms, 29^th May 1940, lot 179, and now in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Two further flowerpots also inscribed with the numeral san, glazed in shades of purple, from the J. Piermont Morgan collection, formerly in the University Museum, University of Pennsylvania, sold in these rooms, 25^th March 1975 lots 224 and 225, and now in the Idemitsu Museum of Arts, Tokyo.

The dating of ‘Jun’ ware flowerpots of this type has long been debated. Historically, two schools of thought proposed datings to either the Northern Song (12^th century) or to the Yuan/early Ming (14^th/15^th centuries). The Northern Song date was supported by the discovery of a mould fragment for coins inscribed with the Xuanhe reign name (1119-1125), reputedly excavated at the kiln sites together with fragments of ‘numbered Jun’ vessels and said to be made of the same clay. The dating of this coin mould, however, has recently been dismissed at a conference in Shenzhen. An attribution to the early Ming dynasty is therefore now largely accepted for this group of vessels, following stylistic comparisons with jardinières, vases and other flower receptacles in celadon and blue and white from the Longquan and Jingdezhen kilns, which are more precisely datable. Since many of these ‘numbered Jun’ wares are preserved in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, and the Palace Museum, Beijing, from the former Imperial collection and often inscribed with the names of palace halls, these vessels can now be considered as Imperial flower vessels of the Ming court.