A HENAN RUSSET-PAINTED BLACK-GLAZED BOTTLE VASE SONG DYNASTY OR LATER

the ovoid body rising from a straight foot to a cylindrical neck and an everted rim, set with four ribbed strap handles at the neck and shoulder, liberally painted with leafy floral sprays against a rich glossy black glaze

Mathias Komor, New York, 1950.
Collection of George de Batz.
Christie's New York, 30th November 1983, lot 355.
Christie's London, 10th June 1991, lot 89.
Sotheby's New York, 23rd March 2011, lot 521.

Chinese Ceramics and European Drawings from the Georges de Batz Collection, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1953, cat. no. 78.

The vase is in good condition. The vase leans slightly to one side and there is some faint crackling to the glaze.
"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 profound interest in nature during the Song dynasty (960-1279) is arguably one of the most important elements that shaped the period's art and culture. The 'discovery' of the beauty of nature affected nearly all areas of life and many strata of society, finding expression in all facets of life and entering also the decorative repertoire of ceramics. Rust-brown painting on black glazes was popular with various north-Chinese kilns, but was generally limited to sketchy floral or bird designs. The elaborate style of the present piece, which is painted with a continuous peony scroll with four blooms among foliage, evenly spaced between the jar's leaf-shaped handles, is extremely rare, as is the olive shape of the vessel.

Similar peony designs are seen on the famous, densely decorated, ovoid jar (xiaokou ping) now in the Tokyo National Museum, illustrated in Margaret Medley, Yüan Porcelain & Stoneware, London, 1974, col. pl. H ; and on a jar from the collection of R. Hatfield Ellsworth, included in the exhibition Hare's Fur, Tortoiseshell, and Partridge Feathers. Chinese Brown-and Black-Glazed Ceramics, 400-1400, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 1995, cat. no. 56, and recently sold at Christie's New York, 17th March 2015, lot 19. See also a small meiping published in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, London, 1994-2010, vol. 1, pl. 459.

The unusual slender ovoid form with short flared neck and four leaf-shaped handles, was probably designed to contain wine. It is well known among Cizhou-type wares with designs painted in black on a white ground, several of which are inscribed with the names of taverns, such as the jar from the collection of Sir Percival David and now in the British Museum, London, inscribed with the words 'Benevolence and Harmony Tavern' (Renheguan), discussed in Jessica Harrison-Hall, 'The Taste of Cizhou', Apollo Magazine, November 2011, pp. 48-44, where the author mentions two further jars of similar shape in the British Museum, and one excavated in Anhui province, and now in the Huaibei Museum; or another Cizhou jar with the same inscription, illustrated in Zhongguo gudai yaozhi biaoben [Specimens from ancient Chinese kiln sites], vol. 2: Hebei juan [Hebei volume], Beijing, 2006, pl. 095, together with a flower-decorated jar of this shape, p. 137.