A FINE SMALL 'CIZHOU' 'OIL SPOT' BOWL JIN DYNASTY

the short spreading foot, below the rounded sides rising to an indented groove below the flared rim, covered in a dark brown glaze suffused with silvery oil spots, stopping short of the foot

Collection of Francisco Capelo.

Francisco Capelo et. al., Forms of Pleasure. Chinese Ceramics from Burial to Daily Life, London, 2009, pl. 40.

This bowl is in fair condition and has two areas of restoration to the rim (3.5cm and 3cm). There is some pinholes to the glaze to the interior and to the exterior. The ones above to the foot to the exterior are slightly larger. There is some scratches to the glaze to the interior and exterior.
"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."

Compare a pair of similar black-glazed 'oil spot' bowls illustrated in John Ayers, Chinese Ceramics in the Baur Collection, vol. 1, Geneva, 1999, pls. 29 and 30; and another in the Sackler Museum, Harvard University, included in the exhibition Hare's Fur, Tortoiseshell and Partridge Feathers, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, Mass., 1995, cat. no. 43a and 43b. A slightly larger bowl is published in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, Vol. Three (II), London, 2006, pl. 1549; and another of similar size to the present piece was sold in these rooms, 13^thNovember 2002, lot 77.

Used for tea ceremony, bowls of this type were especially popular in Japan where they are known as 'oil spot temmoku'. Several examples can be found in Japanese museums; see one designated as 'National Treasure' by the Bunkacho (Agency for Cultural Affairs), in the Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka, exhibited together with two further related bowls, one from the Tokugawa Art Museum and the other from the Nezu Institute of Fine Arts in Kyoto, in Tobutsu temmoku, Chado Shiryokan, Kyoto, 1994, cat. nos. 2-4. A further bowl in the Ryoko-in Temple, Kyoto, is published in Chugoku no toji. Temmoku, Tokyo, 1999, pl. 24; and one in the Tokyo National Museum is included in the Illustrated Catalogues of Tokyo National Museum: Chinese Ceramics, Tokyo, 1988, cat. no. 610.