A SUPERB CIZHOU 'OIL SPOT' GLAZED BOWL NORTHERN SONG / JIN DYNASTY, 11TH / 12TH CENTURY

delicately potted with a fine incurved rim, supported on a low foot ring, covered with a shiny black-brown glaze painted with lustrous metallic purplish 'oil-spots', stopping short of the foot to leave an unglazed area covered with brown-black slip

Eskenazi Ltd., London.

The overall condition is excellent, with only some original potting imperfections to the base and very minor surface scratches. The actual colour is much richer than 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. 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."

Of superb shape and outstanding finish, this is an exceptional example of a Cizhou 'oil-spot' bowl, where the metallic purplish oil-spots radiate evenly throughout the interior and around the sides. For others of comparable quality, see a pair of similar black-glazed 'oil-spot' bowls illustrated in John Ayers, Chinese Ceramics in the Baur Collection, Geneva, 1999, vol. 1, nos. 29 and 30. Compare also a pair in the Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Harvard University, included in the exhibition Art Museums, Cambridge, Massachussets, 1995-96, cat. no. 43 a and b; a single bowl with strikingly identical small 'oil spot' bowls from the Ryoko-in Temple, Kyoto, illustrated in Chugoku no toji: Tenmoku, Tokyo, 1999, pl. 24; and a single bowl from the collection of Hirota Matsushige, published in the Illustrated Catalogues of Tokyo National Museum: Chinese Ceramics I, Tokyo, 1988, no. 610.