A SUPERB INCISED 'DING' 'LOTUS' BOWL NORTHERN SONG DYNASTY

the wide rounded sides rising to a flared rim, the interior incised in swift strokes with a large stylised lotus rising from scrolled leaves, applied overall save for the rim with a pale ivory glaze, pooling in characteristic tear-drops down the exterior towards the low footring

Zetterquist Galleries, New York.

The bowl is in very good overall condition. There are some expected light scratches to the surface glaze on the interior. There are a few typical imperfections in the glaze, including small flakes near the rim, one with possibly some filling, and pin-prick iron spots on the interior. There is some light wear in one area to the glaze on the underside and minute original cuts in the biscuit under the glaze, visible predominantly near the foot. The glaze is particularly tactile and smooth.
"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 present bowl displays all the characteristics attributed to the finest Ding wares known in museum and private collections. Celebrated for their thin potting and fine near-white body, the ivory-coloured glaze of this bowl, which tends to run down in somewhat darker ‘tears’, was expertly applied over confident incised lines, which imbue the lotus design with an appealing air of immediacy. 

A similarly incised bowl in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Porcelain of the Song Dynasty (I), Hong Kong, 1996, pl. 52; other examples of this type include one in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in the Special Exhibition of Ting White Ware White Porcelain, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1987, cat. no. 36; another from the Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka, included in the exhibition White Porcelain of Ding Yao, Nezu Institute of Fine Arts, Tokyo, 1983, cat. no. 117; a bowl from the Eumorfopoulos collection, illustrated in R.L. Hobson, The George Eumorfopoulos Collection, vol. 3, London, 1926, pl. XXIX; and a fifth example from the collection of Mrs Alfred Clark, included in the Oriental Ceramic Society exhibition Arts of the Sung Dynasty, London, 1960, cat. no. 19, and sold in our London rooms, 25th March 1975, lot 35. Compare also a large lotus-incised bowl from Mayuyama & Co., Ltd., mounted with copper rim, illustrated in Mayuyama, Seventy Years, Volume One, Mayuyama & Co., Ltd., Tokyo, 1976, p. 128, no. 374, and sold in our New York rooms, 17th September 2013, lot 75.

Ding ware is included as one of the 'Five Classic Wares' (wu da yao) of the Song dynasty. The kiln sites identified with Ding ware are located at Jianci, Beizhen, Eastern and Western Yanchuan and Yebei villages near Baoding city, Quyang county and in Jingxing county, Hebei province. See for example a bowl reconstructed from sherds, of slightly larger size, carved with a lotus spray, unearthed in Quyang county, illustrated in Series of China’s Ancient Porcelain Kiln Sites. Ding Kiln of China, Beijing, 2012, pl. 155.