A ‘CIZHOU’ ‘ROULETTED’ JAR AND COVER NORTHERN SONG DYNASTY

the ovoid body rising from a straight foot to a wide neck, the grey stoneware body covered with a creamy-white slip and a dark chocolate-brown overslip, cut to the body with a roulette forming bands of short oblique strokes in close-packed rows, the exterior applied with a clear glaze and the interior with a cascaded greenish-brown glaze, the domed cover similarly decorated, Japanese wood box

Sō ji meihin ten [Exhibition of Sung ceramics celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Japan Ceramic Society], The Japan Ceramic Society,Tokyo, 1955, cat. no. 123.
Tō Sō meitō ten [Exhibition of Tang-Song Ceramics], Japan Ceramic Society, Tokyo, 1964, cat. no. 203.

Gakuji Hasebe, Sō no Jishu you. Tōki zenshū. [Jishuyou of Song dynasty. The complete works of ceramics], Tokyo, 1958, pl. 36.
Fujiō Koyama, et. al., Sekai tōji zenshū. Sō Ryō [Collection of world ceramics. Song and Liao dynasty], Tokyo, 1961, pl. 103.
Margaret Medley, The Chinese Potter, Oxford, 1976, pl. 94.

The jar and cover are in good condition with the exception of restoration to a circa 4.5cm., wide section of the rim of the cover, very minor glaze firing imperfections to the jar and light glaze scratches.
"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."

It is uncommon to find rouletted jars preserved with a contemporary cover, although one was included in the exhibition Charm of Black and White Ware. Transition of Cizhou Type Wares, Osaka Municipal Museum of Art, Osaka, 2002, cat. no. 56; and another in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, is illustrated in The World’s Great Collections. Oriental Ceramics, vol. 10, Tokyo, 1980, col. pl. 82. Wares decorated in this way were made in kilns in Henan province, such as the Dangyangyu kilns where fragments of wares of this type have been unearthed; see the fragment of a similar cover illustrated in Series of China Ancient Porcelain Kiln Sites. Dangyangyu Kiln of China, Beijing, 2011, pl. 68.

Further examples of rouletted jars, but lacking the cover, include one illustrated in John Ayers, The Baur Collection, Geneva. Chinese Ceramics, vol. 1, Geneva, 1968, pl. A76; another, from the Meiyintang collection, published in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, vol. 1, London, 1994, pl. 482; a third, from the Simon Kwan collection, included in the exhibition Song Ceramics, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1994, cat. no. 151; and a fourth, sold in our New York rooms, 19^th September 2002, lot 86.