A 'GANZHOU' 'RICE MEASURE' JAR SOUTHERN SONG DYNASTY

the slightly tapering globular body surmounted by a straight neck and rolled rim, the unglazed exterior fired to a deep reddish-brown colour and decorated with a meticulous combed design in the form of concentric arcs, a row of thick green-grey glaze dots framed by two bands of horizontal combed lines decorate the neck, the interior covered with a thick green-grey glaze

Sotheby's New York, 20^th March 2002, lot 97.
Collection of Francisco Capelo.

Francisco Capelo et. al., Forms of Pleasure. Chinese Ceramics from Burial to Daily Life, London, 2009, pl. 51.

This jar is in very good condition with the exception of short firing cracks of the glaze to the interior, tiny nicks and pinholes overall which is an intentional effect of the ware, an intentional uneven base, and tiny pin-prick size burst glaze bubbles to 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."

Jars of this type were possibly made in imitation of basketwork rice measures and are known from the Ganzhou kilns, located in Jiangxi province. They are generally glazed in brown inside and left in the biscuit on the outside, making the present example a rare type. For a closely related example see one included in the exhibition Song Chinese Ceramics. 10^th to 13^th Century, Eskenazi, London, 2003, cat. no. 19; another from the Scheinman collection published in Robert Mowry, Hare's Fur, Tortoiseshell and Partridge Feathers, Cambridge, Mass., 1996, pl. 110; a third from the collection of Charles B. Hoyt in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, published in Oriental Ceramics. The World's Great Collections, vol. 10, Tokyo, 1980, pl. 175; a fourth example, from the Kempe collection sold in these rooms, 14^th May 2008, lot 306; and a fifth jar illustrated in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, Vol. Three (II), London, 2006, p. 565, pl. 1559, where the author notes that similar brown-glazed bowls excavated from a Southern Song tomb at Anrenzhen, Dayi county, Sichuan province, are illustrated in Wenwu, 1984, no. 7, p. 94, fig. 13.